Dealing with Amnesiacs is Hard When You're Emotionally Constipated
by maygic95
Summary: After an accident, Kagura lost some parts of her memories, which includes: how she speaks with accent, how she shoots with her umbrella, and Okita Sougo. Completed.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Amnesia Trope is Overused But it's Never Boring**

* * *

After an accident, Kagura lost parts of her memories, including: how she speaks with her accent, how she fights with her umbrella, and Okita Sougo.

* * *

Another summer in Edo. Things were a little different from the first day he arrived there, all thanks to the war that left so many battle scars on it. The war had a name now—the Altana War. Being a country samurai, he'd never thought he'd experience such impactful thing that would make its place in history books.

Three years had passed since then, and the city had healed. The people had moved on. But one thing never change: _it's still so fucking hot during these times of summer_. He really wanted to ditch the patrol duty like he usually does and sleep under the shady trees while drinking Chuuberts. He tried to cool his head inside the air-conditioned Ooedo Mart as he bought 10 packs of them. He was just about to leave the convenient store when he felt something touching the back of his head.

"Yo, tax-robbing Sadist. What are you doing here?"

 _Uh, no, make it two_ , Sougo thought as he glanced over his shoulder to see Kagura, munching her sukonbu with her purple umbrella pointed as his head. _Some idiots never change_. He gripped his katana; a few Chuuberts dropped from his hand.

"I don't remember this place being yours, China. Why do you think I'm obliged to explain my presence to you?" Sougo replied with a disinterested look. He cursed as Kagura snatched the dropped packs of Chuuberts from his hand. He tried to fetch it from her hand to no avail; even though he was much taller from her, she was really fast.

"What now? The last time you went out in this heat, you went into a coma and died. Are you feeling suicidal today?" he said, trying to grip her shoulder, but she kept dodging his hand.

"I'm hungry, uh-huh. Stupid Gin-chan couldn't get us a job this past week, I had to eat those sukonbu or I'll die from starvation," she grumbled, pointing a plastic bag full of sukonbu. "But I saw you here, and I feel like getting you a revenge for the cake you dipped in tabasco yesterday, uh-huh!"

"Well, whose fault it was to fall on the same trap twice?"

"I told you _I'm starving_!"

"Come on, China. If you want me to treat you lunch, you could have just told me. No need to challenge me for a spar in this hell of a weather," he smiled mockingly. "I will feed you pig food. It suits a female pig like you."

She scowled. There it was. She's the one who tried to annoy him first, but in the end, it was him who managed to push her buttons. "Who are you calling pig, you punk chihuahua? It's just everytime I see you, I can't fight the urge to punch you, especially during this weather, uh-huh!"

The automatic door of the convenient store went open, and there they were—two flying shadows of an umbrella and a katana. Kagura, with a perfected _qigong_ after her training while she left Earth for two years, had her speed increased. But Sougo, too, was not an easy opponent, even for a Yato like her. He got stronger over the years being battered in battles, in addition to his exceptional swordsmanship skill.

They ran while exchanging insults. "What is this? Hunger made you slower?" he mocked as he ran into an empty building.

"No, you punk! I'm putting restraints on myself for your sake, uh-huh!" she chased after him as she fired bullets from her umbrella, hitting the pillars around him. Sougo jumped to avoid himself from the impact. But with the supporting pillars demolished, the building shook. A second later, the floor beneath her collapsed.

"Hey, China, careful there—"

Too late. She was already gone from his view. The building shook as if there was an earthquake.

 _What floor is it again?_

Sougo walked to see her. There was a big crate on the ground where she fell. "Really?" he sighed. He jumped down and walked to her.

"Oi, China. Enough of the game."

She was face down, and to make it worse, she didn't move when he budged.

"China?"

 _Oh, no._ Slowly and carefully, he tried to turn her around, only to learn that her forehead and nose was bleeding.

He remembered something. Yato have two weaknesses: food and sun. She was hungry. The sun was viciously glaring.

"Shit." He cursed under his breath. Sure, she started it. But that didn't make him free from the troubles ahead of him.

* * *

"Sheesh, Sougo. Isn't it time for you to stop playing this ridiculous game of tag? You'll be killed by that stupid perm, you know." said Hijikata, crossing his arms.

" _OKITA-KUUUN!"_

"Oh, speak of the devil." said Kondo-san.

Sougo might be a sadist, but he knew if he recklessly lift her injured body by his own, he'd worsen the possible damage of her injury. As soon as he realized that the crazy China girl were not playing dead, he called for backups and an ambulance to Ooedo Hospital.

"Thanks for reminding me, Hijikata-san, but I think I'm dead already," said Sougo as Kagura's Earth father and the four-eyed tsukkomi sprinted to his direction. Gintoki slammed Sougo to the wall, hands grabbing his collar, with eyes that sparked with fury.

"You," Gintoki growled. "If something happened to her, you will die a slow and painful death."

Sougo didn't respond. He couldn't think of any retort of this moment. For a moment, he thought he deserved it.

"Gin-san, please don't!" cried Shinpachi. "If we're making a mess, we'll get kicked out of here!"

"I don't care." muttered Gintoki, now his _bokuto_ is pointed to Sougo's forehead.

Kondo grabbed Gintoki's kimono from behind, pulling him away before he could punch Sougo's face. "Now, now. I understand you're in distress, Yorozuya. But this isn't entirely his fault. The building is almost collapsed in the first place, and she's the one who fired the bullets."

"Oh, now you're blaming _her?!"_ shouted Gintoki. Before he could vent his frustration to anyone else, the doctor walked out of Kagura's room.

Gintoki removed his bokuto and wailed. "S-s-sensei! Is Kagura okay?"

"She has a traumatic brain injury. For normal humans, it could be dangerously impactful," said the doctor. "However, she's a Yato, thankfully. It shouldn't be very serious. We could get her discharged in a few days."

"Really, sensei?! Ah, thank God!" said Shinpachi.

"Yes, and she has gained consciousness. You may see her now."

Sougo felt a little relieved, but he still had an uneasy feeling that repercussions were on its way. The five of them rushed inside the room where Kagura was lying, her head was bandaged. Slowly, Kagura moved as she tried to sit down.

"Uhhh…," she grunted.

"Slow down, Kagura. No need to rush," said Gintoki.

"Uhhh… Gin-chan? Pattsuan?"

"Yes, Kagura. We're here," Gintoki comforted, patting her back. "You brat. What do you think you're doing? If you keep being reckless, I will ground you for the rest of your life."

"Now, now, Yorozuya. At least she has regained her consciousness," said Kondo. "No need to be rash."

 _There's something off with her_ , Sougo thought. But he didn't voice it. They would notice eventually.

"Huh? Why are the Shinsengumi here?" asked Kagura, eyes narrowed.

"Why are you speaking like that?" Gintoki raised his eyebrow.

"Speaking like what, Gin-chan?"

"Uh, you're speaking without accent right now,"

"Gin-san, I don't think it's important. Maybe she's still in shock," said Shinpachi. "Umm, they were the ones who brought you here, Kagura-chan. You had an accident and you injured your head, so try not to move so much."

"They did? What happened to me, anyway?" she said while touching his bandaged head, then she flinched. " _O-oww_."

"You don't remember?" queried Gintoki. She shook her head. "You were in your sparring routine with Souichiro-kun over there, then things got ridiculous. You fell from the 10thfloor and you had 20 stitches in your forehead as a result."

"Souichiro-kun? Who?"

The five of them exchanged glances, confused.

"Kagura, you don't remember him?" asked Gintoki worriedly. Kagura shook her head.

"Am I supposed to know him?"

There was a silence in the air. They turned their heads to Sougo.

"Kagura-chan, you're not kidding, right?"

"Oh, here comes the repercussion." He deadpanned.

"Great. She's so traumatized with you that she forgets who you are." said Hijikata.

* * *

I finally made something! I've been unemployed for three months now, and it's getting pretty boring, so I started watching Gintama this summer. Long story short, I fell in love with all of the characters and the stories. I like Kagura and Sougo's interaction so much, thus beginning my journey as a new Okikagu trash. I never thought I'd write fanfics, but here I am! I was planning to make this a oneshot, but it's so hard, so I opted for a miniseries instead. It's been a while since the last time I write stories, so pardon me if something feels off. Feedbacks are much appreciated! (Also available on AO3)


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: It's Always Easier to Remember Bad Things Instead of Good Things**

* * *

Chapter summary: Sougo is irritated, but since he's Sougo, he didn't want to admit it.

* * *

"She has this condition called retrograde amnesia. It's a pretty common condition as an impact of traumatic brain injury. Some parts of her memories prior to the accident are missing, which includes her memories of you," the neurologist pointed at Sougo, "and some other things, possibly."

"How long will it takes until she fully regained her memories, sensei?" asked Shinpachi.

"All we can do is be patient and see what happens. She will recover eventually, but I can't confirm exactly when."

Gintoki was furious half an hour ago, but now, he—and everyone else—was looking at Sougo apologetically, as if saying, _I'm sorry it had to happen to you_. Sougo hated it.

"Stop looking at me like that, you guys, it's irritating."

"But don't you think it's weird, Toshi?" Kondo mused, raising his eyebrow. "Among the three of us, China girl is the closest with Sougo, and yet she doesn't remember him,"

"Maybe it's the trauma," said Hijikata. "Besides, they don't always get along."

"Or maybe she just doesn't want to remember me," Sougo shrugged. "Which is good, by the way. I don't have to worry about her kicking my ribs or headbutting my jaw anymore. I can reserve my energy for a better cause,"

"I've done _what_ to you?" asked Kagura, her blue eyes widened.

"You've done violent things, Kagura, and to all of us as well. After all, you're not very ladylike," replied Gintoki, picking his nose. "You eat a week's worth of rice portion three times a day and you hurl everytime,"

"I did _that_?"

"Oh, no. You didn't remember that, Kagura-chan?" said Shinpachi. "Now that you've mentioned it, you ate very little today, and you haven't touched your sukonbu,"

"I don't think my stomach has the capacity to eat that much," Kagura lifted the box and pulled one strip of sukonbu, trying to taste it. Then she gagged. "Ugh, what kind of food is this? I hate it. Can you put it away?"

Gintoki and Shinpachi exchanged glances.

"Oi, Shinpachi, are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Yes, Gin-san. Finally, I can experience of being alongside an ideal _Jump_ heroine."

"What are you guys talking about?" Kagura asked, confused.

"That's good, then. Come on, Kondo-san, Hijikata-san. We're no longer needed here," said Sougo as he exited the room.

"H-hey, Okita-kun!" shouted Gintoki. "I'm sorry for earlier. I was overreacting."

"No, _danna_ , parts of them were my fault as well," Sougo bowed. "I'm sorry for causing trouble. Good day."

None of his two superiors dared to bring up the revelation on their way back to the Headquarters. The ride felt so long as he drove the patrol car.

* * *

A few days had passed since then. Summer had started to leave the city, and the glare of sun has turned into blows of cool wind. Inside the Shinsengumi dojo, Sougo clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white as he swung his shinai. He targeted for 3000 swings, or for as much as his arms could bear. He had been in a foul mood, skipping his morning drills and sleeping in. His blood felt hot in such a windy day, and he needed to vent it out.

"Sougo," a voice called him along with a strong scent of nicotine. Sougo didn't answer. He swung his shinai for the 1025th times.

1027.

"Sougo, you were supposed to be on a patrol duty this morning. Where were you?"

1035.

"Oi, Sougo!"

His hand slipped the shinai off before he could swing it for the 1040th time. The shinai flown across the dojo and broke in two, leaving marks on the wall. Hijikata, however, remained unflinched with that loud thump as he lighted his cigarette.

Hijikata sighed. He had known Sougo for too long that he didn't even need to guess what was affecting his mood.

"What is it, Hijikata-san?"

"I'm asking you why you are skipping your work again," Hijikata puffed his cigarette. He didn't look very pleased, but Sougo couldn't care less. "You could doze off at park benches during your duty for all I care, but you weren't paid for lazing around in the compound all day."

Sougo rolled his eyes. "Are you blind or something, Hijikata-san? I'm not lazing around here,"

"Come on, Sougo. Sulk whenever, but not now, please,"

"I'm not sulking," Sougo scoffed. Oh, and that too: that Sougo would rather die than to admit that something, no- _someone_ was bugging him.

"Uh, yes, you do," Hijikata crossed his arms, leaning his back on the _shoji_. "Clearly, the incidents with that China girl affected you, and it's fine if you do. But that didn't justify you from ignoring your responsibilities."

"God, Hijikata-san is making stupid assumptions again, please kill me now."

Hijikata ignored Sougo's provocation. "Get out of here. You have a patrol duty in Kabuki-cho,"

"Kabuki-cho, of all places in Edo? How convenient."

"Yes. Actually," said Hijikata as he took another long puff, "Kondo-san specially requested you to do a full week patrol there. But before you go, wash yourself first. You smell horrible."

"That's rich, coming from someone who smells like a burnt lungs and rotten mayonnaise."

"Whatever, Sougo."

Sougo didn't know how his feet could brought him to take a bath, changed to his uniform, started his patrol car engine and drove all the way to Kabuki-cho. For the first time in forever, he really did his patrol duty for a few hours until the sun started to set and he felt like taking a break.

He was sitting on one of Kabuki-cho's park benches while drinking his Chuubert when he saw a familiar figure walking in front of him. His stomach felt like dropping when he saw Kagura again for the first time after that accident, still lightly bandaged. She was walking his giant dog. She didn't wear her dick sheath headpiece like usual, letting her long vermilion hair softly blown by the wind instead.

As if realizing someone was observing her, she turned her head. "Oh, good afternoon, Okita-san! Are you on your patrol duty today?"

 _What the hell?_

"What did you just call me, China?"

"Okita-san. Isn't it your name?" she asked, warily. "I'm sorry, but I didn't remember you so I had to ask Shinpachi your name, because Gin-chan is not very good at remembering names."

"You never called me with my name, and I don't want you to start now,"

"Well, Shinpachi also said that I called you 'Sadist', but I feel weird calling you that now," she shrugged. "Also, everyone keep on telling me that I've changed. But they seem to like the new change, saying that it's probably better this way."

"And you're fine with that?"

"I don't know. Gin-chan said I'm a hurloine, but I can't recall that part," she replied. "Gin-chan says a human's memory is like the branches of the tree, intertwined in complicated ways. If you rustle even one of the branches, the others will eventually start moving as well, so I need some time and they're not pushing me. But I feel comfortable with being an ideal heroine, so I thought I could start anew."

Sougo looked at the girl in front of him. She's still China, but she left different impression than what he used to know. She talked politely, walked gracefully, and he hadn't seen her picking her nose.

"I'm really sorry that I don't remember you, Okita-san. But I guess we could start over? Shall we reintroduce ourselves?"

"Don't be silly. We've already known each other." He muttered.

"Oh? Well then... I have a question to you. I've been meaning to ask you this," she tilted her head, "before the accident happened… are we some kind of enemies?"

He didn't know what to answer. Are they? For a few years they've known each other, the constant bickering didn't stop, and they've threatened to kill each other. But they never actually did that, did they?

"More or less," said Sougo, shrugging.

"Shinpachi told me that we're… kind of… complicated,"

"We are,"

"Say, Okita-san…," she looked at him, her cheeks turned pink. "Did we have some kind of past?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know… you and me. Was I ever romantically involved with you, Okita-san?"

With that question, Sougo dropped his half-empty Chuubert tube, staining his cravat and his pants before it rolled to the ground. "W-what are you talking about, you brat? What made you think that way?" He stuttered, losing all his nonchalance.

"I don't know. Shinpachi and Anego said we're not friends, but we're not enemies either," she wiggled her fingers on her chin. "And… you were so tense at the hospital a few days ago, and Gin-chan said you are partially responsible to my accident."

Sougo looked at her in disbelief. "So you concluded that we had a fight and I did some kind of domestic abuse to you,"

" _Well,_ I _didn't_ exactly think that you did some kind of domestic abuse. But yeah, I assumed that we had a fight as… you know, _exes_. And when I asked the same question to Anego, she just smiled, so I thought my assumption was correct," she blushed again. "Oh no. I made a wrong assumption, did I?"

 _That woman is just as delusional as her stalker,_ Sougo thought. He really wanted to facepalm himself with that giant dog's paw right now. He stood up, facing her.

"We're not romantically involved to each other, China. Haven't thought about it and not planning to do it anytime soon."

"O-oh? T-then… why did we fight each other so often?"

Honestly, he didn't know either. "It's more of a habit, I suppose,"

"What started the habit?"

"God, you're so frustrating. Explaining this to you in your current state wouldn't make any sense." he said, walking away from her.

But Kagura grabbed his arm, stopping him. "Everyone kept giving me different answers to my question. Why are you the only person I'm forgetting, among all people? I remember everyone, even the extras that haven't appeared for years, except—"

"I don't _fucking_ know, okay?" he snapped. He looked at her round blue eyes. It was filled both with confusion and curiosity. Her grip weakened when he yelled, yet she didn't flinch. That and this stubbornness were familiar to him, and somehow he was a little relieved that he could get a glimpse of that familiarity.

"But I want to find out."

"I don't want to, China. If you ask me, I think your subconscious made the decision for you." he said, removing her hand from his arm. Then he walked to his patrol car, leaving Kagura behind.

* * *

Sougo was on his way back to the Headquarters when his phone rang. "Yeah, hello,"

"Sougo, are you still around Kabuki-cho?"

"Hijikata-san, when are you going to leave me alone?"

"Trust me, I really want to. But Kondo-san haven't come home, saying he was on an important mission. It's a bullshit, by the way, so you know what to do."

Sougo knew where this leads. "You want me to pick him up from Anego's place and drag him home,"

"You are very thoughtful, Sougo. See you at the Headquarters." _Click_. Sougo sighed. Kondo had obtained a pass to visit Shimura Residence from the front door, not from the ceiling or the overhang; but that doesn't mean he'd stop stalking Otae. For the past few years, though, the excuse was to cook for them, since Otae's cooking—if it could be called cooking in the first place—could paralyze anyone who eats them. So at the very least, his visits were beneficial for both sides. Sougo took a turn and headed to the Shimura Residence's direction. Ten minutes later, he arrived.

"Good evening," he greeted. "Is Kondo-san here?"

"Yes, he is," said Shinpachi, dragging the passed out Shinsengumi Chief to the engawa. "It wasn't me who had done this, by the way. Ane-ue hit him after he called her flat."

"I see," replied Sougo. There was a bump on Kondo's forehead, possibly after being thrown across the room.

"Ah, Okita-san! Coming to fetch the Gorilla, are you?" greeted Otae.

"Good evening, Anego. Yes, I am,"

"Ara, what happened to your uniform?"

 _Tch_. "I met China girl today and she popped a very stupid question, so I had to drop my grape Chuubert for a dramatic emphasis."

"Did she ask you about the two of you being exes?" asked Otae casually as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

"Yes,"

"I'm sorry, but what the hell am I hearing?!" cried Shinpachi.

"My, my. Kagura-chan might lose her memories and some parts of her personality, but she is still as blunt as ever," she rested her hand on her cheek. "I thought she was infected by Amanto warts, but it's still Kagura-chan, after all."

"Speaking of Kagura-chan, I came to the Yorozuya office this morning and found out that she already cleaned up the house, Ane-ue. Gin-san was crying in happiness. It was both scary and wonderful at the same time," said Shinpachi. "But it's still Kagura-chan, no doubt."

"There's no need to mislead her though, Anego."

"Really? She's just one step away to become a Yamato Nadeshiko just like me, then." said Otae, ignoring Sougo.

"Uh, Ane-ue, I'm not sure Yamato Nadeshiko suits your personality."

"Sougo," said Kondo, abruptly regaining his consciousness. "Did Toshi pass my message to you?"

"He did. And I did what you asked, Kondo-san. That's why I met her," said Sougo, exhaustedly. "Isn't that what you guys want?"

"What?" Otae asked innocently.

"We don't understand, Sougo. What are you talking about?"

"Okita-san, Ane-ue and Kondo-san might be plotting something, but I really have no idea what's going on."

Sougo rolled his eyes. "I don't care if anyone did, though. Now, Kondo-san, can we please go back? I'm so tired."

"Wait, Okita-san. Before you leave…," Otae stopped Sougo. "I want to tell you, she's genuinely worried. She told me that she didn't mean to offend you when she said she didn't know who you are at the hospital. If she ever approached you, please don't be so hard to her,"

"And what should I do, then? If she regained her memories about me—" _if there's ever anything important about it, of course_ , "—we'll destroy more properties, attempting to kill each other, and she'll start hurling everywhere. All of you seems happy with her development. What good does it make if I tried to change it?"

"Sougo—"

"Let's go, Kondo-san. I'm sorry for making troubles, Anego, Shinpachi-kun." He said. It was such a long day, he's tired and he didn't want anyone to bring up that topic further. First it was Hijikata-san. Then the China girl herself. Then the Gorilla and the Female Gorilla.

 _God, why can't I live in peace?_

* * *

Let's be real, Hijikata ships it. Kondo ships it. Otae ships it. Basically everyone are shipping them. Next chapter: Gintoki Lecture Mode!

Feedbacks are my favorite things.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: A Shot to the Shoulder Doesn't Seem Fatal in Hollywood Movies, But in Actuality it's Just Equally Dangerous Like a Shot to Everywhere Else**

* * *

Chapter summary: Gintoki got involved and Sougo never backed away from challenges.

* * *

It was still 7 AM, which was still too early for him, but Gintoki could smell breakfast being cooked from the kitchen. To had someone cooking for him was nice, but not when it was noisy that he couldn't sleep anymore. He groaned as he rolled out of his futon and returning it to the closet. _Here goes my chance to sleep in,_ he muttered.

"Shinpachi, what are you thinking, coming so early in the morning?!" he shouted as he slid the fusuma open. He entered the kitchen and found Kagura instead, cutting tamagoyaki—an actual one and not the one the Female Gorilla usually makes—with two bowls of rice. It was usually one bowl of rice and the rest of an entire rice cooker.

"Good morning, Gin-chan! I'm sorry, did I wake you up?" Kagura greeted as she put the tamagoyaki onto the plate.

The view made Gintoki's mouth agape. "Kagura, since when can you cook?"

"I don't know. I think everyone can cook tamagoyaki without problem," she replied, blinking her eyes.

"The only thing you can make is eggs-on-rice."

"Really? Well…,"

"However, it's nice to see you obtaining a new skill like this. I guess a traumatic brain injury has its own blessings in disguise,"

"Gin-chan, you're so mean!"

"Just kidding," he grinned. "Here, let me help you bring this."

They ate breakfast in silence. Her cooking tasted okay. Not exceptional, but it was not bad either. Gintoki silently studied Kagura, who were eating in normal human portion. How Kagura could make tamagoyaki on her first trial without messing it up while Otae turned even raw sushi into a dark matter, he didn't want to know.

"Thank you for the food!" She said, putting her chopsticks on her empty bowl.

"Thank you for the food," said Gintoki. "Kagura, I'm glad that you finally have some use in this household, and I thank you for it. But if you're going to cook again, don't do it too early unless we have early morning appointment. Gin-san is old and he needs more sleep. Maybe do it after Shinpachi arrives so you can help him instead."

"Alright, Gin-chan. I'm sorry for waking you up," she replied.

"It's okay. It's just... with you becoming like this, I feel like I'm the one being raised by the two of you and not the other way around, you know," said Gintoki, scratching the back of his head. "With your newfound domestic hobbies, you really are turning into Shinpachi without the tsukkomi."

"But it's not a bad thing, is it?"

"Not at all. We've told you to take your time."

"Say, Gin-chan—"

 _DING, DONG_. Kagura was interrupted by the sound of the bell. Gintoki walked to the shoji. "A client so early in the morning?" He muttered, sliding the shoji open to find a short-haired girl around Kagura's age.

* * *

"So you met Okuda Haruki, 22 years old, from Pinder and you want to find out his background before you're going on a date with him," said Shinpachi, who were arrived just a moment later after the client did. "Have you checked his social media accounts, Kitamura-san?"

"I did," said Kitamura Kimiko, the client. "Aside from his educational background and career, there isn't much to obtain there,"

"May I ask why we have to find out his background for you?"

"Because he's too perfect. He's very good looking, he seems wealthy, he's educated, and he's very nice, offering to meet in a nice restaurant. I'm interested to meet him in person, but I'm also wary of the possibility that he's a fraud, so I have to make sure."

"No worries, Kitamura-san. We'll do it for you," said Kagura.

"With the right amount of money," said Gintoki, picking his nose from his chair.

"Gin-san!"

"No, no, it's okay," Kimiko pushed an envelope full of money to Shinpachi's direction. "I need the information quickly, so I'm going to pay in advance. My mother has been pushing me to get married soon. If he turns out to be an ideal guy after all, we can move to higher steps of the relationship."

"Get married?" Gintoki raised his eyebrow. "You're Kagura's age and she hasn't had her Coming of Age ceremony yet. What's with the rush?"

"I'm the only child in the family and my father needs a successor in his explosives production business. But I'm not interested in it, so he figured that he'll make his son-in-law the successor instead," Kimiko shrugged.

"Eh? Explosives?"

"Yes. My father's factory produce and distribute them for the city development," replied Kimiko. "I'll take my leave then. Thank you for your help." She bowed, and then she left.

"Whoa, that's a big amount of money!" Said Shinpachi.

"No wonder she's very careful. One misstep and she'd be marrying a good-for-nothing fraud. Let's go, Shinpachi, Kagura. We should head out."

Half an hour later, they were arrived at the downtown. The said Okuda were seen entering an office building. He was a decent looking man with a chonmage hairstyle, wearing a pair of black suits and carrying a thin briefcase.

"He looks decent, like some kind of manager," said Kagura.

"Any MADAO can disguise himself as a manager just by wearing suits. Don't let his appearance fool you, Kagura," said Gintoki, smoothing the collar of his shirt. The three of them were wearing office attire so they could blend themselves properly. "There's only one way to find out. Let's get inside."

After they've seen which floor Okuda is going, they stepped inside the elevator along with another three men in suits.

"Which floor are you going, Sir?" asked Shinpachi, who were standing near the elevator buttons.

"15th floor, please. Thanks," replied the tall man with dark skin.

"Oh, what a coincidence. We're going to the same floor," said Kagura.

"It's good, then. I always hate a slow elevator ride," said the sandy brown-haired man with deadpan tone.

Silence. Then they looked at each other in horror.

"What are you doing here, Yorozuya?!" asked the man with V-shaped bangs, which turned out to be Hijikata.

"I should be asking you the same thing, you tax-robbers!" cried Gintoki.

 _DING._ Before the two groups could explain their presence, they had arrived at the 15th floor.

The elevator door opened. In front of them, a group of men in black suits stood in front the elevator-each with guns, all pointed to their direction-had already waited for them.

"Gin-san, I think they've expected our visit."

"Raise your hands, all of you, and step out of the elevator!" cried Okuda.

"Dang it. I was expecting to find out that you're actually a MADAO, but what is this? A group of mafia?" said Gintoki, raising his hand with disinterest.

"Shut up! Or I'll blow your heads!"

"No. They're Jouishishi in stupid suits," said Hijikata. "They thought they wouldn't raise suspicions if they were operating in a business district, but they failed. Big time."

"Oh, is that so? So that's why this Okuda-san right here wants to get cozy with a daughter of an explosives factory owner. Trying to get the easy access for bombs, aren't you?" mocked Gintoki. "Kitamura-san will be very relieved. She thought you're too good to be true, you know."

"Shut up! Now that you've learned our identity as Jouishishi, you'll never step an inch out of this building alive!" shrieked Okuda, veins popped on his face. He fired his gun to their direction. However, before the bullets could hit anyone, Sougo stealthily stepped in, removing his katana from its sheath and dodged the bullets. Hijikata and Kondo jumped in and knocked the guns off the hands of the other men. As they were frantically running, Gintoki and Shinpachi were already behind them, knocking them to slumber with their bokuto.

Kagura were standing alone in the midst of the chaos, seemingly confused at what to do. That left an opportunity for Okuda. He grabbed the gun on the floor and held her from behind while he pointed the gun towards their direction.

"Kagura!"

"If you do more funny stuffs, I'll kill her and all of you! Drop your weapons at once!"

"N-no!" Kagura shrieked.

"Kagura, strike his ribs with your elbow!" said Gintoki. Kagura didn't move, horrified.

"What are you doing, China?" said Sougo. "Blow his head!"

" _How?!"_ In her frustrated scream, she threw her hands in the air, making her umbrella fell off her hand and slammed to the floor.

" _The answer to your question was in your hand just a second ago!"_ Gintoki exclaimed, equally frustrated.

" _SHUT UP!_ "

"Don't tell me, Gin-san," said Shinpachi. "She forgot how to fight."

" _I said drop your weapons!"_

With Kagura unable to defend themselves, they had no choice but to drop the weapons. "We did, you punk. Now you shut up," said Hijikata, dropping his katana.

"Release her at once!" yelled Kondo.

"No! She's my hostage, and I'm escaping with her!"

"You're not leaving anywhere, Okuda."

 _BANG! BANG!_

" _Kagura!"_

Two shots were fired, followed with a thump. Kagura dropped to the floor, with a bullet from her own umbrella grazing her thigh shot by Sougo, who silently caught it as it rolled to his feet. As he managed to free Kagura as hostage, Sougo jumped to the front and slammed the umbrella towards Okuda, knocking off the gun from his hand. Gintoki grabbed Okuda from behind and performed German suplex to him and made him fly to the elevator door. A loud bang and a sound of cracked bones flinched them all, as Okuda landed in a weird position.

"And now, the last touch." Kondo put handcuff on Okuda's hands. A moment later, backups emerged from the emergency staircase to apprehend the rest of the Jouishishi members.

"Kagura-chan! Are you okay?" Shinpachi approached Kagura and helped her to get up.

Kagura nodded. "Yes, it hurts a little, but I'm fine. I can still walk." she smiled.

"What was that for, Souichiro-kun?!" shouted Gintoki, slapping the back of Sougo's head.

" _Danna,_ it's barely grazing her. It's nothing compared to her own head being blown to pieces," Sougo replied calmly.

"I'm just kidding. Good job, Okita-kun. Thank you for saving her."

Sougo didn't reply. He flinched, squeezing his shoulder before limping to his right side. Bloods were dripping from his shoulder. Apparently, Okuda's bullet had hit him.

"Okita-san! You're wounded!" said Kagura, walking limply to approach him.

"Perceptive as ever, China," said Sougo, panting slowly as tried to fight himself from passing out. "It seems you've completely lost it all, huh? Are you turning into a damsel in distress now?"

"I—"

"Shut up, Sougo. You should get treated," said Hijikata, holding Sougo's uninjured shoulder. "And you too, China girl."

Kagura looked at Sougo with concern, but Sougo avoided her gazes.

* * *

The night at the Yorozuya office was calm. Kagura was sitting on the living room, looking at her bandaged thigh.

She recalled the moment when they sat together on the ambulance while being treated by the paramedics.

 _"Thank you, Okita-san," she whispered._

 _"For what?"_

 _"For saving my life," she replied. Sougo's shoulder had been treated, and so did her thigh. Luckily enough for him, his injuries weren't serious and he could be discharged tonight. As for Kagura's wound, as a Yato, it was only a mere scratch and would have gone without any scar._

 _"Get over yourself. I didn't recall saving your life."_

 _"Still, because you did it, I didn't get hurt," she sighed. "And I'm sorry I wasn't being too useful back then. I really didn't know what to do."_

 _"We're even, then," Sougo said, standing up. "I was unable to save you when you fell that day. Now I'm no longer indebted to you. See ya, China."_

She hugged her knees as she recalled that morning's incident. "Why is he so difficult to deal with?" she grunted. "I just want to thank him, that's all!"

"Who, Okita-kun?" said Gintoki without taking his eyes from the _Jump_ he was reading.

"Yes. Say, Gin-chan. I've been meaning to ask you this, but does he hate me?" she asked.

Gintoki let out a sigh. "As unbelievable as it sounds, I think he doesn't hate you,"

"Then why is he acting so weird?"

Gintoki closed his _Jump_ and put it on his desk. "Listen, Kagura. I've been meaning to tell you this for a while, but I'm afraid you'll push yourself too hard to try to remember everything at once. However, seeing how you acted today, I think it's going to be dangerous if we keep pretending that nothing is happening to you, while you don't know how to defend yourself," he cleared his throat. "You are very out of character."

Kagura blinked. "I'm well aware of that, seeing how everyone reacted to it. But you told me to take my time, didn't you?"

"I did. But I'm worried now. You're a Yato; what happened today should be nothing for you. But you forgot how to shoot with your umbrella. If anyone tried to take advantage on this, you'll be in great danger," he walked to the couch where Kagura sat. "Do you even remember your real family? Your father and your idiot brother are two of the strongest Yato. The baldy will kill me if he learned that his daughter has lost her ability to fight."

"Sometimes I remember them, sometimes I don't, just like everything else. My memories are all over the place right now. I really want to get it fixed," Kagura replied weakly. "You're still not answering my question, Gin-chan. What do you think makes him to act so weird if he really doesn't hate me, then?"

"Well… I'm not really sure about it, but if I were him," said Gintoki, his fingers wiggled his chin absentmindedly, "It would be hard for me as well. That accident were partly your own fault of your recklessness, but I don't know. Maybe he's feeling guilty because he couldn't prevent it."

Kagura scowled at the mention of her recklessness, as she already lectured for a solid hour by Gintoki and Otose about an accident that she couldn't even remember, along with a threat of being grounded for the rest of her life. "What do you think I should do then, Gin-chan? He doesn't even want to look me in the face."

"Well then," Gintoki ruffled Kagura's hair affectionately, "why don't we try different approach?"

* * *

The autumn wind had started to breeze yet the air was still warm when Sougo sat under the shady red umbrella at the tea shop that he frequently visited during his patrols. Kondo allowed him to take a day off due to his shoulder injury, but he chose to finish his full week Kabuki-cho patrol duty as soon as he could, so he insisted on working. Preferring work over sleep was already out of character of him, so he decided to stick with his usual definition of working: wasting the taxpayers' money. He was munching his dango absentmindedly when he heard a familiar voice approaching.

"Yo, Okita-kun,"

Of course, bumping into familiar faces while patrolling in a familiar area was inevitable. But he didn't really care about it anymore. He scooted to let the Yorozuya Boss sit beside him.

"Danna _._ What brings you here?" asked Sougo. "Do you want to lecture me about China?"

"Nope," replied Gintoki, munching his dango.

Silence. Sougo sipped his tea.

"Why are you sitting beside me, then?"

"I'm craving for some dango, and I just happen to see you here. That would be rude if I pretended not to see you, you know."

"I see."

"However, since you're here, I want to give you this," he handed a small package to Sougo's lap. "It's from Kagura."

Sougo put his tea down and tried to peek the package.

"She specified that you should open it when you're alone, though,"

"Is it a bomb from your client yesterday or something?" he followed the advice and put the package aside, and grabbed another dango.

"I have no idea what's inside. But since she's been acting like a lost heroine from another _Jump_ manga for the past week, I can guarantee you, there's nothing shady about it," Gintoki shrugged.

Sougo scoffed. Of course. Had this happened a week earlier, he wouldn't accept any package that wasn't delivered by the girl herself, let alone listened to an advice of opening it when nobody was around.

"How are you feeling, Okita-kun?"

"About what?"

"About _whatever._ "

"I don't normally feel things except for bloodlust, Danna."

"Yeah, but your action says otherwise," Gintoki threw the dango stick away. "It bothered you, is it?"

If Sougo was talking to Hijikata, he'd already throw insults to him. But he couldn't fool the person who was sitting beside him; not when he already seen him at his lowest point.

"Honestly, Danna, it is."

"Why didn't you just say so to her? Every normal humans would feel upset when forgotten," said Gintoki, scooting so he could look at Sougo's face.

"I'm not sure I can be categorized as a normal human. And besides, everyone seemed happy with her new personality,"

"To be honest to you, it's hard for us to adapt with it as well. Not when we're so used to her puking and sticking her booger everywhere. But if we couldn't accept her for her conditions, she would run away like I did when I lost my memory years ago, and that would make things worse. I have promised her father that I would take care of her, so I'm only doing what's best to keep her safe. However," he let out an exasperated sigh, "you've seen what happened to her yesterday. I don't normally worry about her, but this time I really do. And I, too, am afraid her old memories will never return,"

Sougo didn't respond, so Gintoki continued. "But none of us can afford losing the old Kagura we know, right? So I'm trying to fix that. Shinpachi and I have been trying to shake her branch, in hope that the other intertwining branches would reach her."

"So what you were saying is that you want me to move one of her branches as well,"

"Yes,"

"I don't think I'm big enough of a branch in her tree of memories, Danna."

"And I don't think you're one to determine that, Okita-kun."

Sougo sighed. The Boss always knew how to corner people with truth, including him. "But what if, in the end, we are unable to return her?"

"I wouldn't say anything until I've tried," Gintoki smiled, his dead fish eyes gleamed. "Okita-kun, no matter what happened, you are still her friend, or her rival, or whatever your relation with her is called. If she ever forgot you, then you shouldn't let her. She's got a hell to pay for forgetting you and your sadistic manner. Make her remember so you could tell her that she hurt your feelings and she could take a proper revenge to you,"

"She doesn't necessarily _hurt_ my feelings—"

"—or whatever you want to call it, I don't care," cut Gintoki. He stood up while picking his teeth with the dango stick. "See ya."

As soon as Gintoki was gone from his view, Sougo opened the package. It was a crisp, new cravat. Inside, he found a badly-written note:

 _Okita_ _Sadist,_

 _This gift is to replace the one stained with grape Chuubert after that cringeworthy assumption that I made a few days ago (I'm sorry about that, it was embarrassing). And, I know I've said it before, but I still want to thank you for yesterday's help._

 _You didn't seem to be interested to talk to me in person, so I wrote this note instead. I'm proposing you a challenge to help me regain my memories of you within a week. Teach me how to fight, throw insults, or whatever, because Gin-chan doesn't want to and Shinpachi is too polite to ever throw insults. If you fail, you're going to be my personal slave until I regained my memories. But if you succeed, I'm going to do whatever you please for a year, but keep it family friendly because the author of this fanfiction is not experienced in writing anything above PG-13 rating. I heard that you like challenges and you hate losing, so I think you'll be interested._

 _I will wait for you tomorrow afternoon at the park._

 _Queen of Kabuki-cho_

 _This is so stupid and one-sided_ , he thought. But he never backed away from any challenge before. He thought about the possibilities of torturing her for a whole year, sparking his sadistic tendencies. Danna was right. If she ever dared forgetting him, she better be prepared for the consequences _._

For the first time in a while, The Prince of Sadist was again showing his cruel smile.

* * *

I just can't leave Sougo alone to have all happiness in the world, lol. I just want to keep pushing him to the edge. Also, I just realized that writing Dadtoki is so hard; I've edited this chapter more than three times. Same goes for describing action scenes, but I'm trying my best.

Sougo shot Kagura to save her as hostage is a reference to Detective Conan.

A fusuma is a Japanese sliding door.

Pinder is, obviously, a parody of Tinder.

This is how I picture Kagura (and Sougo's) office attire: post/170099676136/沖神 - OP made tons of great OkiKagu arts and you should check them out.

Feedbacks are always much appreciated. Until next chapter!


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Festival Episodes of Gintama are Never Not Fun**

* * *

Chapter summary: Sougo had another plan for Kagura.

* * *

That morning, the Shinsengumi officers were eating their breakfast in the compound's dining room when Yamazaki saw Hijikata's face slowly turned green. "Sougo you bastard!" he cursed, rushing out to the restroom. Sougo cackled in joy, his sadistic face and devilish smile scaring the whole dining room. Apparently, the Vice Chief's mayonnaise had been poisoned again.

"Scary," said Yamazaki, biting his anpan. "Very scary."

"Fukuchou let his guard down," whispered Kamiyama. "This is Okita-taichou's first attack in a week."

"Now that you've mentioned it, Okita-taichou has been in a bad mood for the past week, glaring and snapping at us subordinates. I thought things would get better once he got through it, but I was wrong," said Tetsu.

"The thing with Okita-taichou is," said Yamazaki as he opened his 10th anpan with his laser beam, "he's actually scarier when he's in a good mood."

"Yes, yes. Correct, Yamazaki. 10 anpans for you," a sudden voice made the three of them jump. Sougo was standing behind them, his eyes soaked with blood red gleam. "However, you forgot to add something to your data. I usually command gossiping subordinates to swing their shinai for 1000 times in the dojo."

The three police officers yelped in fear. "T-t-taichou!"

"Just kidding," they sighed in relieve.

"We're sorry, taichou! We didn't mean to speak ill about you!"

"However, since I'm in exceptionally good mood today, I'll change it to 5000 swings," he corrected, smirking devilishly.

"Okita-taichouuu!" Yamazaki shrieked.

"I'm going back to sleep," said Sougo, waving his hand as he walked out from the dining room. "If your arms are still intact by the time I returned from my patrol this evening, I'll slash it off myself."

"He's clearly having a blast. Right, Kondo-san?" Harada laughed heartily.

"The best mood he's ever had in a while." Kondo agreed.

* * *

Kagura got out at her closet at 6 in the morning. She had a strong urge to pick up the lint roller and clean up something, but she fought it. She was determined; she'd regain her memories, and she'd start from redoing her old habits.

Shinpachi had listed the things Kagura usually do in the morning, which was sleeping in until she got awaken from hunger. She sighed. She couldn't sleep anymore, and laying around inside her closet didn't seem like a fun activity. She wanted to turn on the TV and watch the morning news, but it would wake Gintoki and make him cranky. She felt she could nibble on some snack, though.

 _Woof_. Sadaharu licked her legs, panting happily.

"Sadaharu, you're awake?" whispered Kagura. "Should we take some morning walk? Should we buy something at the convenient store?"

 _Woof._ Kagura scratched his ears. "Okay, then. Wait here, I'm going to change."

Ten minutes later, Kagura strolled through Kabuki-cho's empty streets with her umbrella on her hand and Sadaharu beside her. It was a Sunday morning and the town was asleep. There were remains of last night's festivity—much like every night in this area, but one light remained to flicker. Ooedo Mart, where she'd buy a week's worth of sukonbu.

"Should we get some sukonbu, Sadaharu?" Kagura scratched Sadaharu's ears, to which the dog happily responded with a bark and a lick to her cheek. "Okay, okay. Wait here."

Kagura entered the convenient store and went to search for the pickled seaweed. She was grabbing one pack when an image flashed to her mind.

 _Why do you think I'm obliged to explain my presence to you?_

She could hear a muffled, faint voice, but there was nobody around her except the store clerk. Kagura blinked and shook her head. _Perhaps my body isn't used to waking up so early_ , she thought, brushing it off. She took two packs from the aisle.

"Only two packs?" asked the store clerk, a man in his late teens, when she brought them to the cashier to be paid.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm sorry, you might not be aware. But I've been working in this store for two months and you come here every two days to buy twenty packs of sukonbu," he ran his fingers to his auburn hair, chuckling nervously. "Sorry again, it was weird. I sound like a stalker."

"No, it's okay. I guess anyone who buys that much amount of sukonbu would be very distinguishable."

"But this is the first time I've seen you for a while. Something happened? You had a fight with your boyfriend?"

"B-boyfriend?" she stuttered.

"Yes, the Shinsengumi officer with the sandy brown hair? The last time you went here, you had an argument and the two of you almost destroy the door."

Kagura laughed heartily. "He's not my boyfriend."

"Oh? Well, that's good, then. A pretty girl like you shouldn't hang around with a good-for-nothing dude like him, he was so violent with you," The clerk smiled. "That would be 200 Yen."

Kagura didn't respond to that remark, handing him the money and walked out of the store in silence. She wasn't sure why but there was an urge to defend Sougo back then. He protected her once, but he wasn't very nice to her, either. So she didn't do it, because parts of her wanted to know what he really was like. And she was certain that a small light would be shed this afternoon. She didn't know if he'd even read her note, but she hoped he did.

She licked the sukonbu and grimaced after a hint of sourness hit her tongue, but it got sweeter after she put the whole strip in her mouth after she was sure the taste wouldn't make her feel sick. It didn't taste exceptionally good. But it sure tasted familiar, almost comforting.

"Sadaharu, do you think he'll come?" she asked her dog.

Kagura heard a slow _woof_. She took it as a yes.

* * *

Sougo had a trouble concentrating today. So far, his patrol duty had been mundane—no banks got robbed nor drunkards found dead. Hell, even purses weren't snatched today. The day didn't go the way his sadistic tendencies would like, so he was restless.

He had one activity today, and it was waiting. He was walking on a shopping district in Kabuki-cho when he saw his own reflection on a shop's display. The cravat he was wearing today seemed like the other ones he owned; but he knew in actuality that it wasn't. It was the one given by Kagura—the one he had appointment with.

This was probably the first time that he had received anything from anyone outside from Kondo and begrudging Hijikata since what seemed to be forever. The girl couldn't even afford paying herself a decent meal on broke Yorozuya days, yet she managed to get one for him. Not that he felt anything, though; he was more concerned about whether or not the cravat was stolen. Besides, if there was anything she had done was making him happy, it was the challenge she had given him.

Wait, did he just use the word "happy"?

He scoffed and continued walking. He wasn't one to use such word; not when the only person that made him do was no longer in this world.

But damn, the afternoon couldn't come fast enough.

* * *

Kagura stood in front of a tree on Kabuki-cho park, eyes fixated, her umbrella gun aimed to a target made of cardboard that was attached onto the bark. She fired a bullet. _BANG_. The target remained unmoved. Kagura took a breath and fired another bullet. _BANG_.

Five bullets fired, but not a single one hit the target. She groaned in frustration and walked to the target, kicking it. That kick not only made the cardboard broke in two; the tree trunk had fallen before she knew it. She stepped backwards, panting. Realizing that she let out more strength than she had intended, Kagura stood aghast at the sight.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," a voice suddenly popped out of nowhere. "I could arrest you for destroying public property, you know."

She turned her head to see Sougo, walking to her direction. He was munching a bubblegum. "N-no! I didn't do it on purpose!" she exclaimed, panicked. She didn't want to cause any trouble in front of a police officer.

"In a bad mood, China?"

Kagura shook her head. "Not necessarily. I'm just frustrated that I can't hit the target."

"Is that so?" he popped his bubblegum, "How are you going to beat me up if you can't even hit a simple target like that?"

She pouted. "It's not like I chose to become like this, you know."

"Funny, I thought you said you're enjoying being a typical heroine."

"I did. But I changed my mind; I can't make Gin-chan and Shinpachi any more worried," she said with a sigh. "Plus, if Papi learned about this, they would be in trouble."

"Do you really want to do this?"

"I don't have any choice." She shrugged.

"I'm asking if you're doing this for yourself and not because the others told you what to do."

"Why are you acting all so considerate now, of all times?" she scowled. "I'm a Yato, remember? Any sustained injuries will heal faster. Besides, I've told Gin-chan about this and I've obtained his approval."

"Well then," Sougo turned, walking away. "Let's go."

"Huh? I thought we're going to spar or exchange insults or whatever!" she chased after him.

"We are, China. Not here, though. We'll do it somewhere else." He walked to where his patrol car was parked; he opened the passenger door for her before stepping in himself.

"W-where?"

"I'm arresting you for destroying public properties, remember?" said Sougo. He locked the door and started the engine. "Put this in your neck and end your sentence with a 'woof', please." He pulled something from the backseat. It was a chain leash; he kept one in the car trunk just in case he found someone to dominate.

Kagura's fair complexion had gone even paler. He was known as a Grade-A Sadist and she should have expected this, she thought. "A-are you kidding me? You tricked me to get arrested and instead of handcuffing me, you're trying to put me on a leash and act like a dog? Vent your sadistic tendencies on someone else!"

Sougo smirked. "What, then? You want me to fine you? You don't even have money to begin with, China. This way you'd be free of all charges."

"You're _abusing_ your power, you tax-robbing Sadist!" she yelled, elbowing his ribs on reflex.

"Fuck!" Sougo cursed at that unexpected attack, causing the patrol car to swerve. He quickly turned the stirring wheel before they could hit anyone. He looked at her, exhaled. "What was that for, you damn girl?!"

" _You just did a borderline sexual harassment to me, asshole!_ "

Sougo grimaced. The pain felt like he was just being stomped on by an elephant.

"I know you're still indomitable as ever," he replied, glancing at Kagura who gave him a killer look. "Now stop looking at me like that."

"Your sadistic jokes aren't funny."

"Still made you flip nonetheless," he said, wincing at the pain inflicted. "Anyway, I'm surprised. I haven't received your dangerous surprise attack in a while, and this hurts like a bitch."

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "I don't know how to control this."

Sougo didn't respond to her apology, still grimacing from the pain. If it wasn't for his agility, his ribs would have been broken. "By the way, I was just kidding about arresting you. We're not going to the Headquarters; we're going to the festival."

"Festival?" she repeated, eyes narrowed. Her expression had gotten even more confused. Sougo had to fight the urge to take a picture of her dumb face, because if he did, they'd cause traffic accident this time for sure.

"Yes," he replied. "What, do you really think that the only way you can remember me is through violence?"

"I don't!" she scowled. "But I thought we're going to practice or something… why are we going to festival?"

"This is the last day of summer and my patrol duty has ended, and I kinda want to have fun," he said, and quickly added, "not that I want to have fun with _you_ , though."

"That's not answering my question, stupid Sadist-san." mumbled Kagura.

"Hoo? What's with that tone?" he smirked teasingly. "I'm actually spending my precious time to help you right now, you know? Well, whatever. You'll see when we're there."

Half an hour later, they were arrived at the festival. She remembered going to a summer festival with Gintoki, Shinpachi and Otae three years ago before the war emerged, but clearly this wasn't the same place they had visited before. This venue was bigger, in an unfamiliar side of Edo. Her Yato nose could smell different kind of foods that were offered there—all of the festival foods she knew and loved but never able to afford thanks to Gintoki's gambling habit that made all of her salary vanish before she could even spend it.

Visitors roamed the place—couples, families, and friends. They were all wearing yukata in various hues of summer colors. Everything was tinted with a color similar to her hair as the sun had begun to set, and suddenly she felt self-conscious with her old red qipao. Sougo walked off but Kagura stayed in her place, standing awkwardly.

"What's wrong?" asked Sougo when he noticed that she didn't follow him.

"You should've told me that we're going to a big festival like this, you know. I'm not wearing a yukata." She replied quietly.

"Come on, it's fine. I'm not wearing one either," he turned and continued walking forward. "That Chinese clothes you're wearing suit you better."

Kagura went silent at that remark, unable to interpret whether it was just his way of giving compliment or not, but she smiled and followed him.

"You want that?" Sougo asked, pointing at the takoyaki stall. The view of takoyaki being made and the smell made Kagura's stomach growl, to which he mockingly smirked and made her fluster. He ordered two portions. She protested because she didn't bring enough money to buy that much, but he ignored her protests and paid for it anyway.

"Thanks." She said, as she picked one takoyaki and put it in her mouth. It wasn't long until she finished her portion, and she started to snitch one from Sougo's hand. He protested as it was the one he saved for last. But she only grinned apologetically, made him insult her "pig" and resulted in an attempt to whack his head, which he managed to dodge. As she jumped to yank his hair, an accessories stall caught her attention.

"Look, look! That hair ornament is so cute!" she pointed to a scrunchie with red and pink kanzashi on it while dragging Sougo by his hair.

"Yeah, yeah. It doesn't suit you, though," he deadpanned, removing her hand from his head.

"Well, I'm sorry if I didn't act very feminine in the past, but that doesn't mean feminine stuffs should be off-limits!" she protested, her arms crossed.

"Yeah? But feminine things are usually expensive. Look," He pointed to the price tag, which was 700 Yen. So much for a hair scrunchie. "Now that you've mentioned it, you've been letting your hair down these days, China. Did your dog ate your odango?"

"Nah. I just want a change of looks every once in a while," she answered. "Gin-chan said I'm the only character in this anime who have various outfit choices, so I think I should do the same with my hair."

"Pity," Sougo clicked his tongue. "The buns made you look like an idiot. I like it when you look like one." His retort provoked Kagura to punch his face, but of course he dodged it again.

"You know, every time you insult me, I weirdly got bloodlust," She panted after she failed to land a punch to his face. "I kinda want to kill you."

"That's your muscle memories acting on your behalf, I suppose." He replied. He had been observing this after she managed to elbow his ribs—that every time he insulted her, he could see glimpses of "real" China, and silently enjoying it when it happened. "Hey, do you want to play at the shooting gallery?"

Kagura turned to where Sougo pointed to see a shooting gallery with various kind of prizes to be won, from snacks to expensive anime merchandise. While Sougo walked to the game stall, flashes of images began to appear on her head.

It was another summer festival in another side of the town. Giant robots similar to the ones that Gengai owned emerged. Black and gold uniforms—

"Earth to Chinaaa."

Kagura blinked and saw Sougo was leaning to her direction, his face was so close in front hers. "Uhh. Sorry. And give me some personal space, please." She pushed his face away.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just… I think I just saw something."

"What did you see?"

"A summer festival. I remember that it has something to do with the Sho-chan and… Gengai-jiji, but it was so vague."

"Did it have giant robots in there?"

"How do you know? Wait—" she stopped. "Oh. Right. Sho-chan was there. _You_ should've been there, too."

"I did. I was there, and there was an attack," He nodded. A reminder of the shogun still managed to send him chill on his spine sometimes, of the consequences and the things that followed on the wake of his assassination. "We beat the shit out of the robots and Kondo-san mistaken us as the Gods of Festival or something."

Kagura blinked. Then she laughed. "Why?" she asked, looking at him at disbelief.

"Because when we unite our strength, we're God-level unbeatable, maybe," he shrugged. He then proceeded to pay for two games—three bullets each—and handed Kagura her cork gun, before grabbing his own. He aimed for a spicy senbei and shot it right in the center. He then aimed for another prize, this time a bottle of hot sauce, and shot the last bullet, hitting a pack of Chuubert.

"That would save me a week's trip to the convenient store." He said smugly as the stall owner handed him the prizes. Kagura pouted at his succeed while she was still having difficulties. She aimed for a Justaway doll and she pulled the trigger and missed. She tried to shoot again when the autumn wind blew, made her hair stuck to her face. That distraction made her miss another shot, to which she let an exasperated sigh. "Ugh, my hair is getting in the way!"

"I told you your odango hair suits you better."

"Yeah, and if I meet you tomorrow with my twin buns, that would seem like I agree with you that looking like an idiot is my best kind of look," She aimed again, this time more determined. The cork bullet hit just the side of the doll. "Look! I did it!"

"Congratulations, miss!" the stall owner handed her the Justaway doll. She received a doll with a thanks. She turned to find that Sougo was already on another stall when she could hear another muffled voice from the back of her mind. This time, it was two different voices.

 _"The one who destroyed the festival…"_

 _"Who is it?"_

She shook her again, this time a little harder it made her a little dizzy.

"Yo, what happened?" Sougo's voice shot her back to reality. She turned her face up and saw him carrying two ikayaki. "You want to sit down?"

She nodded as they sat together in a nearby bench. "I shot MADAO's sunglasses and nipple."

Sougo looked at her in disbelief. "Of all things, that's what you can recall?" he sighed loudly, pretending to look disappointed. "As expected from a major idiot."

"What?" she protested, pinching his nose and pulled him downward. "I'm trying my best here! And I want that ikayaki too!"

"Yeah, yeah, you glutton," he crinkled his nose in annoyance, but still gave one ikayaki to her regardless.

She received the ikayaki and began nibbling the squid absentmindedly. "Thanks," she said. "Is this why you bring me to the festival? So it could trigger my memories?"

"Didn't you say you want to remember me?"

"Don't answer my question with another question,"

Sougo didn't reply. He threw the stick that held the ikayaki to the trash bin beside the bench and stretched his hands lazily. "Before you get to regain them, you must first recognize the things that you've lost." He said finally.

Then as Sougo spoke, another flash of images began to appear—two figures were flying, a katana and a pair of bare hands clashed with steel bodies. If the sky had fireworks, the ground had red and blue shadows combined in two and became purple, leaving electric sparks and trails of smokes. People were frantically running, Shogun was silently leaving. She could saw Shinpachi and Gintoki, standing on the stage, facing Gengai. Too many things to digest at once—she felt her head spin. She closed her eyes.

"…na?" a familiar voice echoed. "China."

She blinked and saw Sougo, his hands were waving in front of her face.

"Yes, I'm sorry," she said, standing up. "Should we go and play another game?"

"Or we can go home and rest," he said, not moving from where he sat. "You look like you're about to faint."

She turned to him. "No. Gin-chan told me recollecting memories could make you feel a little funny in the head. I'm okay to feel dizzy if that's what it takes to bring them back. I'm just a little overwhelmed."

"No," he said. "I don't want you to faint and make me carry you with all those foods in your stomach."

"I said I'm okay." She persisted, her eyes glared. _Ugh, those eyes again_ , Sougo thought.

"Fine, fine. But if something happened to you, I'm not going to carry you," he sighed, giving up. "Come on, let's go to the main stage. I think the fireworks will start soon."

As soon as the sun had gone, the two of them challenged each other for various types of games while eating festival foods—Kagura lost to Sougo most of the time, which led to another insults and physical attacks from each other, some of them went too violent they almost destroyed stalls and hit other people. However, even though Kagura was the one who lost them all, she made Sougo buy her one okonomiyaki, roasted corn, candy apple, and taiyaki. Sougo protested, but he still bought all of them anyway.

"Ahh, I feel so full." Kagura huffed, rubbing her stomach.

"Your stomach can fill much more than that, actually," said Sougo. "You and that bottomless pit Yato stomach of yours will lead your future husband to poverty."

"How dare you calling my stomach a bottomless pit!" she yelled, trying to jab him without succeed. "Look at it! It's as flat as Sekigahara!"

"Yeah, like your chest." Sougo deadpanned, leading for another attempt from Kagura to kick his crotch, to which he jumped before her foot could land on his golden balls.

"Wait," she stopped, looking at him in horror. "Did I just eat twice of normal human portion?"

"No, it's _your_ portion, China," Sougo corrected. "You didn't realize it, but you've spent one week's worth of my salary."

"H-how am I not realizing this?"

"I've told you," he rolled his eyes, "muscle memories. Hell, I began to think that your lacking sharpness and strength are due to the change of your diet."

 _That_ made her flustered for the nth time today, and Sougo couldn't enjoy anything better than this. This girl used to have so much pride that he never saw her act like this before. Kagura huffed, mildly annoyed, and turned her back.

"You know, China," he said, "asking for my help like this is unlike you."

She stopped walking upon hearing that statement. She looked at him, raising one of her eyebrow. "Really?"

Sougo took step forward to close the distance between them and nodded. "You are a pain most of the time. There was one time when we were this close to be beaten up, but you still refused to team up with me. It took a lot of convincing for you to finally agree with me," he said, recalling the day she broke his leg in Yagyu Residence, "you're so stubborn."

"I still am, am I?"

"Yes," he affirmed, "But now at least you know how to ask a favor. I'm starting to think that maybe I can go on with this version of you. I like it when you need me."

That statement stunned Kagura. Realizing what he said might be ambiguous, he felt warm on his cheeks, but didn't manage to find a word to clarify what he really meant. For a moment that felt like forever, there was only the sound of the wind that mad her hair flutter in a small space between them, strands of vermilion hair gently brushed her cheeks.

"A-anyway," said Sougo, "will you turn to your back for a moment?"

"Ouch! What are you doing—" before she could finish her sentence, Sougo pushed her shoulders.

"Stay still, China. Your hair is too bright, it's hurting my eyes," he said, tugging her hair gently.

"Hey," she said, quietly. "Get off your dirty hands off my beautiful hair." Even though she said that, she let Sougo touch her hair anyway.

However, he wasn't just touching them. He was braiding her hair.

"Your hair is ugly, that's why I want to get rid of them," he said, but Kagura knew from his tone that he didn't mean it. "You know, I'm irritated when you didn't recognize me in the hospital." he said slowly, almost like a whisper.

At his statement, Kagura let out a chuckle. Sougo could feel his cheeks got warmer. _Is she mocking me?_ "Hey, why are you laughing? I'm trying to express myself here."

"You sure are just as difficult as I am. I was confused with your treatment the other day. I tried to approach you and you didn't want to look at me," she said. "Then you saved me and you didn't want to be thanked for it. Why don't you just say so from the beginning?"

"Honestly, I'm just as confused as you are. This whole thing is confusing," Sougo stopped braiding, his hands were still tugging at the half-done hair. "I feel like I'm getting a karma." He sighed.

She took a glance of him. "Sadist, it's okay," she said, surprising him without the honorifics, "It wasn't entirely your fault that it happened. You brought me there, but the one who shot the bullets was me. And our fight that day hasn't over yet; that's why I'm asking you to do this. So I can beat you up as a revenge and finish what we started."

Sougo looked at Kagura's determined face. How an airhead like her could say something so thoughtful at times like this still managed to amaze him, so he gave in and chuckled at her response. "I can't wait."

"Also…" she said, "I'm sorry if what happened with me hurt your feelings. I couldn't choose the things I can remember and the things that I can't."

"I know it," he said. "But I have to correct you on that one. I'm just merely irritated and not hurt at all. I guess I just hate the fact that I don't have anyone to beat up to death at the moment besides Hijikata-san, and unlike you, he doesn't fight back."

"I really want to elbow the other side of your ribs right now." She uttered. Sougo laughed. Soon after, Kagura laughed too.

"It feels weird to have a civil conversation with you, China."

"But it's not bad, is it?" she asked.

"No," he replied. "Not a little bit."

At his reply, Kagura smiled wider. "By the way, how do you even learn how to braid?"

"A certain idiot used to have a long hair in the past and I used to braid it with ribbons and flowers when he was sleeping as a prank." Sougo shrugged, recalling his days at Bushu with Hijikata where Sougo used to contemplate strangling him with his own hair.

"…Mami." She whispered.

"Huh?"

"I used to ask my Mami to braid my hair. But my hair was too short at that time, so she opted for the buns instead. I wanted to grow my hair so it could match with hers and Kamui and so she could teach me how to braid. But she left before my hair even touched my shoulder." she recounted.

Sougo paused for a moment. "It was nice to have a memory of your mother. Both of my parents were gone before I could even remember their faces," he said, indifference in his tone.

"I'm sorry for your loss."

"Likewise," he replied. "There, it's done."

She pulled hair to the front and saw it neatly braided, with a red and pink kanzashi scrunchie securing it at the end.

"Th-this—" she stuttered. "You bought this?"

"I told you, your hair is too bright if you let it loose," said Sougo. "And besides, I don't want to be indebted to you. This is only a payback for the cravat you bought me. Thank you, anyway, for that one."

"You're welcome," said Kagura, her lips twisted into another genuine smile. "And thank you for buying this for me. I will definitely keep it!"

Before Sougo could reply, fireworks were shot in to the sky, to which they looked up to see them bursting through the warm summer night sky.

Kagura gasped in amazement. The fireworks were fascinating, but Sougo silently looked at her instead, which screamed more colors than the sky. Her hair was a mix of red and orange, soft strands of her hair caressed the skin of her nape. Bright red, green and yellow in the sky were reflected on a pair of her deep blue eyes, with the hues that would cause envy to any ocean. She looked fascinated at the fireworks, not realizing that she was prettier and more real, unlike the fiery blooms above. Her face beamed with joy, her translucent skin was subtly blushed with a warm shades of pink.

Hell, the fireworks were breathtaking, but the person beside him was enough of a view.

For a second, she looked ethereal.

He realized right away that he was doomed.

* * *

"Festivals are fun!" she happily exclaimed when they were on their way back to drop her off at the Yorozuya. "Did you see the final fireworks? It was _so cool!_ "

Sougo didn't respond. He kept driving in silence.

"Knock-knock," she poked his shoulder. "Anyone there?"

"Yeah, I saw it," he said finally. He was half lying; he didn't really see the fireworks. Not when what was on the ground was far more interesting. "So what do you remember about the festival three years ago?"

"I remember the Shinsengumi was there," she said, "and I remember fighting those robots with someone. I couldn't recall your face in there, but seeing his swordsmanship, I reckon that was you."

"I guess it's expected," he shrugged. "We didn't even like, talk or anything. It's just to remind you that we're not only kicking each other's asses. Sometimes we team up and kick someone else's asses."

She smiled upon the affirmation that they didn't really hate each other's guts. "The memory was still fuzzy, but I guess it's better than nothing. Thank you for your effort today, Sadist."

" _And_ your food." He added.

"And your food. And this scrunchie." she agreed, giggling.

Sougo pulled the brake. They had already arrived in front of Snack Otose. "Don't get too comfortable. Today's just a warm-up and I will torture you for real tomorrow."

"Yeah, can't wait!" She said as she jumped out of his patrol car, the Justaway doll on her one hand, then waved at him with the other as she closed the door. Sougo didn't wave back, but she didn't pay any mind to it.

Back at his room in the Shinsengumi compound, Sougo tossed and turned. He couldn't sleep. Not because he could hear Hijikata grumbling on his room next to his, saying how useless his subordinates are, since Sougo came back late using the patrol car and Yamazaki was again writing hundreds of "anpan" on his daily report like he was possessed. He made an excuse that his arms were tired after swinging shinai for thousands of times as his punishment for gossiping the First Division Captain and that was all that he could write, and it made Hijikata even angrier.

Sougo kicked his comforter and rolled out from his futon. He felt like he should do something. Before he could even think straight to reconsider his decision, he found himself knocking Kondo's room and entered it as soon as his superior gave him his permission to come inside. Thankfully, his superior was still awake as he was sitting down, seemingly to be working on some reports.

"What is it, Sougo?"

Sougo braced himself—not like he was afraid of anything, but still—and cleared his throat. "Kondo-san, I think Kabuki-cho needs more thorough inspection. May I ask for additional three days of my patrol duty?"

* * *

A/N:

Sougo you sly dog, what are you trying to do, taking her to a festival? What a goddamn tsundere.

Seriously, writing happy Sougo is hard. That's why it took me more than a week to finish this. I'm not very satisfied on how this turned out, since this only meant as an interlude before another conflict happens *rubs hands evilly*

Also, GUYS. I'm so happy of Gintama moving to Jump Giga! I was worried when WSJ announced that it's only five chapters left. But I'm glad they managed to find a win-win solution for both sides. And have you watched episode 364? The reunion scene is SO GOOOOD. It inspired me to finish this chapter. This week is a blessed one for us Okikagu shippers and Gintama fans.

Kanzashi are Japanese hair ornaments, made from folded cloth in shape of flowers.

As always, I love finding feedbacks from you readers on my inbox. Until next time!


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Sometimes You Only Realize the Worth of Something Once It Slips Away From Your Fingers**

* * *

Chapter summary: Sougo was jealous. Kagura started to question herself.

* * *

Sougo had never become anyone's first priority.

That thought crossed his mind as his cellphone's buzz woke him up this morning. He might be a prodigy back in his dojo in Bushu, where praises for his skills were nothing new for him. He might the leader of his First Division unit—the one who lead the vanguard to make path for the Shinsengumi, and, alongside them, trusted with a duty to protect Edo. He might be described as "that handsome Shinsengumi officer" by teenage girls whenever he walked on his dashing uniform on patrol shifts, inducing gazes and blushing faces. But aside from his sister, no one had ever actively seek for him first thing in the morning unless there was an emergency and the First Division had to be mobilized for it.

He didn't care much about that anymore, really—it was just something he only realized now. Lazily, he removed his red sleep mask and reached out his hand and flipped his cellphone open to find one unread message.

 _Good morning! U awake?_

 _I can't wait for our training today! 4 PM Kabuki-cho park?_

The message was sent from an unknown number, but it made him snicker because he needed no name to know who the sender was. He wasn't one to converse via text message platform; he only replied with a short _OK, see ya_ and put his phone away as he got up to wash his face.

He was never someone else's priority and he didn't mind that.

But to have one day with someone who thought of him as soon as she was awake and greeted him good morning and basically told him that she couldn't wait to see him seemed to be enough to make up for the times without his sister's gentle tone as she woke him up in their parents' house years ago, before he—and eventually, she, too—left the place forever.

He closed his eyes as fresh water drenched his face. _This was good enough._

* * *

Kagura smiled as she read his reply. She decided that she shouldn't disturb his work with another message, so she put her cellphone away and slid her closet door open to find Shinpachi already there, carrying a tray of rice and miso soup to the living room.

"Ah, good morning, Kagura-chan!" he greeted.

"Shinpachi, why didn't you wake me up?" she whined as she stepped out of her closet. "I told you I want to help."

"That's okay, Kagura," said Gintoki from the tatami room. "He was born to do the domestic roles, you know. Housewives hate it when you steal their role."

"Who are you calling housewives?!" yelled Shinpachi.

After a few boke and tsukkomi banters between Gintoki and Shinpachi, they started eating their breakfast in silence. The silence didn't last long, however, as soon as they saw Kagura scooping too much rice on her bowl.

"Oh no," said Gintoki in horror. "From everything that could be retrieved, _this_ hell of appetite decided to be the _first_ to return?!"

"Three days, Gin-san," said Shinpachi, looking at Kagura as she started to eat. "And here I thought the rice could last until the end of the month."

"I had too much expectation, Shinpachi. I only have 300 Yen now," said Gintoki. "I have spent the rest of this Kitamura's payment at pachinko." That confession made Shinpachi roar at his boss' irresponsible behavior.

"Seriously! You promised you're going to pay this time!"

" _I promised I'll get it doubled at pachinko_!" Gintoki yelped. "It wasn't my fault if Gambling Gods weren't at my side yesterday!"

"What happened during the festival that you made you return to this hell of appetite, Kagura-chan?" Shinpachi asked, concerned.

"He kept buying me foods and before I realized it, I already ate like 20 portions of various festival foods," replied Kagura. "He said that he requires me to eat normally so I have more strength and be more focused."

"Now that you mentioned it, maybe he's right. But I think he did it on purpose, you know, to rain on my parade," said Gintoki. "Makes me want to go and kill him." He added under his breath so Kagura wouldn't hear him.

"But I'm glad, Gin-san," Shinpachi glanced at Kagura, who had finished eating after her 4th bowl. It was far from her usual 8 to 10 helping of rice, but still a lot for normal humans. "Thankfully, even though her monstrous appetite has returned, her mannerisms are still there. At least she doesn't speak with mouth full, spitting rice everywhere."

"No, it's weird!" said Gintoki. "Her character is starting to get inconsistent now—she eats a lot, but she doesn't _inhale_ the food like she usually does, Shinpachi! Her personalities are overlapping, like some poor fanfiction writing!"

"Hey," she scowled. "It's not my fault that I became like this, you know. If you have someone to blame, blame the author."

" _Will you stop trying to break the 4th wall? It's not funny!"_ cried Shinpachi. Then he turned to Kagura. "Kagura-chan, we have to go to the grocery store after this. You know, before this irresponsible bum right here spend more money that we have left at the pachinko."

Kagura nodded as she wiped her mouth with napkin as if she was eating at a fancy restaurant, inducing looks of horror from her coworkers.

"Shinpachi, I'm going to look at the snacks aisle for a bit," said Kagura as Shinpachi pulled a shopping cart at the grocery store.

"Okay, I'll see you there," Shinpachi replied, walking towards the fresh produce aisle. Kagura snickered at how housewive-like Shinpachi could be, his eyes sparkled upon seeing vegetables at discounted prices. She went to search for something to bring at her training with Sougo later this afternoon.

"He was so generous yesterday," she muttered. "I should buy something that I can share with him." She was jumping in an attempt to reach her hand to a bag of snack placed on the piles on the top level when her hands accidentally pulled the whole aisle and made it tilt, causing the snacks on top of it to drop onto her like a rainfall. Kagura whined upon seeing the mess she managed to make thanks to a bad combination of her height and her strength. _Where are the store clerks again?_ She looked around, but no one was in sight.

"Ah, you're the sukonbu girl, right? Do you need help?"

Kagura turned to find the voice who seemed to be calling her, and found a man with wavy auburn hair. "Oh!" she exclaimed. "The Ooedo Mart clerk! And yes, I need help."

The man grinned and ran his hand to his hair. "Thank goodness this isn't the condiment aisle. You'll hurt yourself if it was," he said. "The sukonbu is not in this side of the aisle, you know."

"Actually, I'm not looking for them," Kagura shook her head. "I'm going to meet a friend today and I want to buy something that I can share with him, which happens to be up there that I can't reach. Then… I made a mess." She grimaced, pointing at the scattered snacks on the floor.

"What do your friend like?" he asked. Kagura thought for a moment that he seemed to like Chuuberts so much, but he already got them at the festival the other day.

"Spicy foods?" she answered hesitantly. She noticed during their festival food spree that he'd carry a bottle of tabasco with him under his Shinsengumi jacket, but unlike Hijikata, he didn't really put it on his foods that it became associated with him. That made her wondering. Why would you go the trouble to bring something that you wouldn't use? She took mental notes to ask him about that later.

She felt a light poke on her shoulder, to which she saw that the man beside her had pulled a few variations of spicy snacks from the floor and gave it to her. "You're spacing out," He said, grinning. "Here, these are the top-selling at Ooedo Mart." He said as he went back to put the rest of the dropped items back to its place. Kagura noticed that he was quick—half of them had been returned to its place. Maybe because he was used to this kind of work as a store clerk.

"Right. Sorry," she said, shaking her head, and held out her hand to accept three bags of rice crackers, corn chips and potato chips from the man's hand. "Thank you… uh, what's your name again?"

"Ah! How inconsiderate of me, talking to you this long without introducing myself," he chuckled. "I'm Shohei." He offered his hand nervously.

Kagura accepted his hand and firmly shook it. "My name's Kagura. Nice to meet you, Shohei-san."

"Nice to meet you too, Kagura-san," said Shohei. "It's a beautiful name. It suits your face."

"Eh?" she blushed at his compliment, since no one aside from her parents that had called her beautiful before. "Why, thank you."

"No need to thank me. You really are pretty, Kagura-san," he repeated. Kagura got even more flustered, Shohei couldn't help but to snicker. "Say, what kind of food do you like?"

Kagura put her hand on his cheek, thinking. "Umm, I like eggs-on-rice the most, but there's nothing that I cannot eat," she replied proudly. "Why do you ask?"

"Uh… it might sound weird, but I have been observing you for a while now, Kagura-san, from the first day I saw you at Ooedo Mart, and I admire you," said Shohei, his cheeks turned red upon his confession. "A-and I think you're such a lovely girl. I really would like to hang with you sometime."

Kagura blinked. "Eh?"

Shohei ran his fingers to his hair nervously. "You are so pretty, Kagura-san, and so confident," he said, his face completely blushed and suddenly stuttered. "D-do you want to eat at the hamburger place that just opened in Kabuki-cho sometime? I, uh, have free hamburger coupons for two, but since I just got here for a while… I don't have a friend yet. Will you—uh, come with me? Uh, it might be weird to ask you out on a date… so will you go out with me as a friend?"

Shohei pulled two small sheets of paper from his shirt pocket to her, which read: _WacDonald's Opening Promo! Get one fries and one hamburger for free by redeeming this coupon._

"Wow—I haven't tried hamburger before, I've always wanted to know how it tastes…" her face beamed upon seeing them. Then she turned her head to Shohei. "I would love to, Shohei-san, but is it really okay? Shouldn't you ask someone closer to you instead of me?"

Before Shohei could reply, someone called Kagura's name and made the girl jerk her head toward the sound. Shinpachi were pushing the trolley to the cashier, full with fresh produce—probably for his own household, too—and two bags of rice. "Are you done yet, Kagura-chan? I'm going to check out!"

"Yes, a minute, Shinpachi!" she replied, then turned back to Shohei.

"Uh, consider it as a job request. You're a Yorozuya member, right?" as soon as he said it, his eyes widened. "I'm sorry! Please don't misunderstand! It's not like I see you as an escort girl or anything… i-it's just that, I really want to hang with you, and you seem to be a nice person to talk with… so…,"

Free food and a seemingly good man to befriend with, and the thought of a food she kept seeing on foreign television shows made her stomach growl. Kagura didn't see anything wrong about it, so she grinned and gave him a high five. "Don't worry! I get what you mean, Shohei-san," she said. "It's a deal, then. So… I'll see you this evening?"

"Eh? You will actually go with me _tonight_?"

"What? Didn't you ask me to go with you?"

"N-no—I just didn't thought—"

"You offered me free food as a job. I can't turn it down," she laughed. "And a job request must be done immediately, except if you have another plan tonight."

Shohei shook his head. "I don't!" he said quickly. "It's my pleasure, Kagura-san. Can I have your number, then?"

* * *

"Ehhh?! WacDonald's?" said Shinpachi. "Ah, how lucky of you, Kagura-chan! I want to taste their hamburgers, too! Who are you going with?"

"Are you going on a date, Kagura?" asked Otose.

They were hanging out at Snack Otose after their landlady requested them to do a thorough clean-up. Tama insisted that she can do the cleaning on her own, but Otose said that Tama must not help and lazy permhead should do something to make up for the unpaid rents.

Before Kagura could answer Otose's question, the shoji to Snack Otose was violently shifted open. They all turned to see Gintoki, who was just back from dumping the sorted garbage in the bin outside the building.

" _A DATE?! WITH WHO, KAGURA?!"_ he boomed. Then he fell down dramatically to the floor, wailing. "Please, God, Gin-san can't bear the thought of her going out with another fugly and disrespectful Titan. Gin-san will die from shock if she does it again."

Kagura groaned in frustration when she saw her Earth dad whimpered in exaggerated sadness. "Gin-chan, it's not what you think it is!" she exclaimed. "And Shohei is a normal human!"

"It is what I think it is," said Gintoki. "You haven't answered my question. Who is this Shohei guy?"

"You know the new clerk at Ooedo Mart nearby? He invited me for a free hamburger there." She shrugged. "It's not a _date_."

" _Who?_ "

"I know his family," said Otose, puffing her cigarette. "He's the nephew of Okabe-san who owned the Ooedo Mart in Kabuki-cho. He moved to Edo a few months back from a small town in Kansai area to become his uncle's apprentice in a hope to open his own store someday."

"He's from Kansai?" Kagura lifted her eyebrow. "I didn't recognize his accent."

"Maybe because his family was originally from Edo?" Otose shrugged. "I just heard that part from Saigo. The okama from his bar are fond of this boy. I can see why, though. He's pretty handsome. You seem to be catching a nice fish, Kagura." She grinned teasingly.

"Nice fish? What are you talking about, Babaa?" Kagura's eyes narrowed.

"There's no use, Otose-san," said Shinpachi. "She's 17 yet she's still as dense as ever regarding this department."

"Still better than you, Cherry Boy. At least she has someone to date." Said Catherine with her thick foreign accent, then she laughed at her own jokes.

"Who are you calling Cherry Boy?!" Shinpachi retorted.

Kagura scowled. "I don't understand what you guys are talking about."

"It's a date, Kagura," said Otose. "No matter how much you try to deny, it's the truth. He's asking you out on a date."

"No, Baabaa, he's just asking me as a friend," Kagura insisted. "He's just asking me out on friendly terms. He helped me at the grocery store, so I'm just returning the favor. Besides, who can resist free food?"

"Did he compliment you, Kagura?" asked Gintoki.

"Uhh, he called me beautiful," she said, shrugging, completely unaware with Gintoki, who was his bokuto while Shinpachi jumped to snatch the weapon, preventing his boss to destroy the bar in his parental rage. "He said I'm lovely and he admitted that he has been observing me for a while. I was flattered, but that's it. I am more interested with the food."

"It's not good, Kagura!" yelled Gintoki. "Don't go on a date just because you want the food! It's even worse than going on a date with someone out of pity—don't go so low in the society! I didn't raise you to become like this!"

"This is your fault, Gin-san," said Shinpachi. "If only you didn't starve us, she wouldn't be like this."

"This is making me so sad! It's my fault, is it? I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry!" wailed Gintoki.

"That's not what I meant!" Kagura protested. _These people are being so irritating_. "I mean, even if he didn't tell me I'm pretty, I just couldn't turn down his offer. Better grab all the chances you got to make as much friends as possible, don't you think?"

"Yeah, and while you're innocently thinking you're just here to make friends, he'll start to take advantages on you," Gintoki persisted. "Then before I knew it, you guys will do shotgun marriage!"

Kagura groaned. "Oookay, you're being gross now, Gin-chan. Guess it's time for me to go," she huffed, jumping off the bar stool and walked to the door.

"Where are you going, young lady?!"

"I've got some memories to regain, remember?" she shouted as she walked out of Snack Otose. "And I'm going to say it to you one last time: it's not a date!"

Then she slid the door close with a little bit more force than needed.

* * *

"You've been making such an ugly face for a while. What's wrong with you?" asked Sougo, panting. They were having a spar, umbrella versus shinai. Unlike usual, the spar didn't get violent; Sougo made sure that he got her in control, since reckless moves might trigger her to release too much strength than intended. And he, in return, put aside his Kiku-ichimonji katana and used his bamboo sword that he brought from the Shinsengumi dojo instead.

"I just made a new friend," she replied as she ran to him. "Everyone especially Gin-chan is overreacting. I don't understand why!"

Sougo held his shinai as Kagura charged. "Maybe because you're such an airhead?"

"Why does making a new friend makes me an airhead?"

"Because you always trust someone new so easily," Sougo shrugged. "I can imagine that he's a new neighborhood boys you often play with and you already consider him a friend."

Kagura curved her lips into a pout as she struggled to find the tiniest gap to charge another attack to the reddish-brown eyed man in front of her. "It's… almost correct, except he's not from Yocchan's group," she said, picturing the fat bully from her neighborhood friends who she'd frequently play with in the park when she had no job. "I met him at the grocery store."

"So it's a he," he said, dodging her charges. "And it's even worse than I'd imagined."

"He's not completely unfamiliar, okay? He's the cashier at the Ooedo Mart, who apparently is a nephew of the store's owner. He was just arrived at Kabuki-cho several months ago," Kagura explained. "He saw us fighting the other day, you know."

"And then?" Sougo was only half listening when Kagura told his background. He lowered his shinai.

"So he asked me if I wanted to eat at WacDonald's because he got free coupons," she said, lowering her umbrella as well. "I said yes. We're going this evening."

"So it's a date, then."

"Why does everyone keep saying that it's a date?" she whined. "First it was Babaa, then Gin-chan, and he flipped over it! Why can't a boy and a girl go together normally as friends? I can be only friends with you and Shinpachi!"

"You and Glasses are basically family," said Sougo, walking to the park bench to grab his drink. "As for me, well…"

"What?"

"Nevermind," he replied quickly and threw a towel and an unopened bottle of mineral water to her. "Wipe your face with that towel, you look like shit."

"Hey, what's with that attitude?" she crossed her arms in annoyance. "I thought we were civil yesterday."

"Did you forget when I told you yesterday was just a warm-up?" said Sougo in his usual bored facial expression. "Don't get too comfortable with me, China. I'm your opponent, remember?"

Kagura sat beside Sougo. "Whatever, Sadist," she shrugged. "I brought something to you, by the way." She pulled the plastic bag from the grocery store that she bought earlier and put it on his side.

"What is it?"

"It's a payback for all the food you bought yesterday," she said, and then she blushed. "I—I don't have a lot of money, though, so that's all I can give you."

Sougo opened to see the content of the plastic bag. He paused for a moment. "What's with all these spicy snacks?"

"Eh?" Kagura blinked. "I just figured that you like spicy foods… is there something wrong?"

Sougo shook his head. "No, nothing's wrong. I'm just surprised that you noticed this. I like spicy food. Just not as much as my sister. And _this_ ," he said, lifting the senbei, "is her favorite."

"You have a sister?" she asked, confused.

Sougo looked at her, frowning. But then he sighed. "I forgot that you have forgotten everything about me," he said. "Didn't Danna tell you about it?"

"If Gin-chan did, I didn't remember," she replied. "So what's she like?"

" _Was_ ," he corrected. "She died three years ago. Lung disease. Danna was there when she died."

"I'm so sorry, Sadist…,"

"No, don't be. It's okay, really. Sometimes I don't want to be reminded that she's gone, too. Especially during these times, because she died in autumn. Every time maple leaves withers and starts to fall, I couldn't sleep for days. That, this tabasco, and everything in red in this season reminds me of her. Not you, though," he glanced at her red qipao, then he looked at her, who seemed to be in a verge of tears. "Associating her with you is abomination."

She huffed in annoyance, wiping the tears that started to well up on the corner of her eyes because she understood so well what it felt to lose someone beloved. "And here I thought I could sympathize with you for a bit."

Sougo snickered. "I don't want to see you cry for me." He said, then he went silent.

There were no words exchanged for a long while; Sougo ate the spicy senbei while Kagura observed him. From what she had perceived from many people around her while he was still avoiding her, Sougo didn't seem to be a person who was capable of acknowledging his emotions, and she had seen with her own eyes that he was ruthless in battles. He didn't hesitate in attacking, and didn't seem to have any fear. But from the short time that she had spent with him after she had lost the memory, all she was seeing was a normal human being who was hiding behind a cold-blooded, sadistic persona.

And all she was seeing right now was a little brother who loved and missed his sister so much. For the slightest moment, he looked vulnerable, almost childlike.

"Thank you, by the way, for this," he said, finally breaking the silence. "Seems like I underestimated you. Turns out that you're not as stupid as I thought, China. I didn't thought you're pretty perceptive."

"Do you really need to insult me on every sentence you said?" She looked at him, irritated. "I just noticed the bottle of tabasco that you usually carry under your jacket, and how pleased you were when you got free senbei at the festival the other day, that's all. Is that why you carry it with you?"

Sougo paused for a moment. "I know it's weird. I don't even use it like Hijikata-san usually use his mayonnaise,"

"It's okay, though," she smiled. "You're doing it so it feels like she's with you all the time, right? She is. She always will be. Mami told me that's how family works."

He looked at her with an unreadable look on his face. His eyes, who'd usually sporting a look of disinterest or a sadistic gaze, looked gentle. It was a weird choice of word to be associated with a person like him, but at that moment, it was all Kagura could see.

"Wh-what?"

"It's so unfair," he said, still looking at her, "I wish you guys could meet before. She'll like you, I'm sure of that."

Kagura wasn't sure what she was supposed to say, so she didn't respond.

Sougo blinked. "Forget it. That was a weird thing for me to say."

 _Some things in this world are meant to be protected, even if it means getting your hands dirty._

"Huh? What?" she asked.

"I said, 'that was a weird thing for me to say'," he repeated, blinking his eyes confusedly.

"No, the thing after that," she shook her head.

"I didn't say anything afterwards," he said, his eyebrows furrowed. "Are you okay? Wait—are you seeing things again?"

"No, I just… I think I heard you say something about 'protecting' and 'stained hands'…,"

Sougo's eyes widened. "You're having flashbacks about Rokkaku case?"

"I-it was fuzzy, like a radio on a wrong frequency, but I know it's your voice," she replied. "Sorry. What is Rokkaku case again?"

"I think you've apologized too much today, China, how boring," he said, his voice monotonous. "You're making a progress, at least. But it won't be fun if I spoiled it all for you. It's your job to remember it on your own."

"We were at the park, right? What did you actually say back then? What did we do?" she asked.

"Whoa, whoa. One at a time, China girl," he said. "Take it easy."

But Kagura couldn't take it easy. She wasn't sure why and how that certain moment triggered a certain memory—

 _Those eyes,_ she thought _. Those weren't the fierce ones that I usually see_.

"Don't you think you should head home?" he asked, breaking the nth silence that got between them through the afternoon. "You have appointment with whoever that guy is, right?"

"Ah, you're right, I should take a bath," she said, getting up. "But I still want to know more about what happened that day…,"

"We can always try again later," he shook his head in disagreement. "We've sparred for two hours. Unlike you, I have work to do tomorrow and I don't want to drain my energy further. Besides, you stink. You should take a bath so you wouldn't be mistaken with a raw minced meat and get cooked as hamburgers."

"Now look who's talking!" she got up from the bench, pointing Sougo's head with her umbrella. "You should take a bath and take that stinky jacket of yours to the laundry, don't you think?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. See you, China." As he said that, he walked away from her.

"See you, stupid Sadist!" she said. He slowed down at _stupid Sadist_. One of many nicknames she gave him that he hadn't heard for a while.

He took a glance of her. Kagura waved to him as usual, and then she turned around and ran back home. He watched her back, her clothes dampened from sweat and her hair was a mess. As soon as the girl disappeared from his sight, he reached for the inner pocket of his jacket. But what he pulled out from it wasn't the tabasco bottle he'd usually put there.

It was 10 WacDonald's coupons that he received from the owner as a token of appreciation for securing the place on its opening day. The one he planned to give to China today, but someone had already made the move.

"I'm so stupid." He muttered as he put them back on his jacket, then as he arrived to the place where the patrol car was parked, he looked up to the sky. It was painted in a color he'd wear to remind himself of Mitsuba—a crimson red, like his sleep mask, like the tabasco bottle under his jacket, like the color of the packaging of the snacks that Kagura gave him, like most of her clothes, like the faint shades of her hair.

He had to take his own words about not associating her sister with the girl, he pondered. After she started acting differently due to her amnesia, albeit it made her so all over the place, somehow, he could see glimpses of Mitsuba in her eyes.

* * *

"I'm going off!" said Kagura, walking to the door with her umbrella clutched in her right hand. She was wearing a pink-and-red qipao dress, given by her bald father when he visited a few months ago. Kagura decided that she'd only wear it for special occasion, and she had decided that the evening's dinner with her newfound friend could be counted as one.

"Be back before 10!" cried Gintoki, who was following her to the door with Shinpachi. "And don't do weird stuffs with that guy, okay? If he asked you to go to the backside of the building or offering you to go to Love Hotel, kick him on the groin!"

"I know how those kind of things work, Gin-chan," the girl groaned, uncomfortable with Gintoki's words. "I live in Kabuki-cho for years and hang around in Yoshiwara, I'm not that stupid you know!"

"Good to know," he said. "However, some things are beyond my control, so if you decided to… you know, _take the leap_ , I can't help it, you're 17 anyway... I'll just pretend that I don't know that you sneak back home at 6 in the morning. Just—if you do it, make sure that it's consensual and that he uses protection."

Shinpachi choked at his boss' words. "Gin-san, I don't think that part is necessary."

"Yes, Gin-chan, I'm going to hurl on your face if you keep saying nasty things, you hear me?" she frowned. "Don't worry. For the love of God, _he's just a friend_. Why can't you trust me?"

"I trust you," he said, gripping both of her shoulders. "I don't trust him."

"I'm going to be okay, _dad_ ," she said mockingly. "I'm an amnesiac Yato. If he ever decided to do bad things to me, he's making a big mistake."

Kagura closed the Yorozuya Gin-chan's door, leaving Gintoki and Shinpachi. They could hear her footsteps descending the stairs. After they were sure that the girl had left, they smirked at each other.

"Nice disguise," said Gintoki, grinning to Shinpachi, who was wearing a blue kimono and a long wig.

"You too, Gin-san," replied Shinpachi, smiling with his rogue-painted lips. He took a glance on Gintoki, who was wearing a chonmage wig, a hakama and haori, his usual outfit suddenly went nowhere to be seen.

"So, Okaasan, shall we not go and not stalk our daughter who isn't on a date?"

"Yes, Otoosan, let's not go."

They walked out the door, hand-in-hand, with an evil cackle.

It didn't take them long to arrive on the place of their secret operation. The WacDonald's was located on the busiest road of Kabuki-cho, just a few buildings away from Snack Smile. The place was packed, but the restaurant was large enough to fill the amount of customers.

"Target is at 9 o'clock, Gin-san," whispered Shinpachi, who was holding a binocular to his bespectacled eyes. They were sitting beside each other so they could see Kagura clearly.

Gintoki turned his head from his strawberry sundae to where Shinpachi pointed. A boy, probably around Shinpachi's age, was walking to where Kagura was seated on the booth with a tray of hamburgers and fries. They sat near the entrance while Gintoki and Shinpachi sat on another booth far across from them so the girl couldn't see them.

"Heh," said Gintoki. "Does this dude really think he can feed our Kagura with only one hamburger?"

"That's what I want to know myself, Danna,"

"Look at him. I think I'd immediately fall into a deep slumber once he speaks." muttered Gintoki.

"Yeah, he looks so boring."

Gintoki and Shinpachi turned to see a familiar face sitting across them on the booth.

"Uh, Okita-san, what are you doing here?" asked Shinpachi, clearly trying hard not to throw the punchline too loud.

"Patrol duty," replied Sougo, not taking his eyes from the booth where Kagura was happily eating her hamburger.

"Has the Shinsengumi changed role from protecting Edo to protecting their personal interests?" Gintoki smirked. "Man, you guys should've changed names to Stalkergumi."

"Look who's speaking," Sougo side-eyed the man. "What are you doing here wearing fancy clothes, Danna? Are you going to a marriage meeting for China or something?"

"Listen here, brat," a vein popped on Gintoki forehead. "As her guardian, it is my duty to make sure that Jimmy[1] right there is not trying to do anything funny with her. The last time we let her go on a date, it was a fucking _shingeki no kyojin **[2]** _on my house, so we couldn't let it happen again for the second time."

"Is that so? Well, Danna, don't misunderstand me. I'm not here to stalk her," Sougo shrugged and opened the paper wrap of his hamburger. "I wanted to grab some dinner here, but there are no seat left for me. I suppose since you two are so intimate sitting side by side like that, I could sit here."

"Then why is your gaze fixated on that certain corner, Okita-san?" said Shinpachi, pushing his glasses.

"My neck is sore," Sougo answered shortly, his mouth full of hamburger.

"Look at _that_ , Pattsuan," Gintoki nudged Shinpachi's upper arm. "What is he doing?"

Shinpachi snatched the binocular from Gintoki. Kagura's mouth was full of ketchup, and Shohei was wiping it off her mouth affectionately with his thumb. That action made her blush, and the man laughed. Soon after, Kagura laughed too. Then Kagura seemed to be throwing a joke, to which Shohei responded with a hearty laugh.

"What is he doing? What is _she_ doing? Why does she looks so happy? It's disgusting! Can we kill him, Pattsuan? Please?"

"I don't think it's a good idea, Gin-san. Kagura-chan will definitely kill us in return."

The two of them glanced to Sougo, waiting for the police officer's reaction, but he ignored them. He was silently eating his dinner, even though his gaze stayed fixated on her.

"But Kagura-chan seemed to be having fun, though," said Shinpachi. "She's an honest person, so if she doesn't enjoy his company, we'd see it on her face."

"Yeah, and this is why I'm worried," Gintoki agreed.

"We can always ask her to introduce him to us, though," Shinpachi suggested. "We forgot to do it thanks to your overreaction earlier."

"Nah, half of it was because I'm concerned that he's going to destroy my house again like that caveman she brought home that one time," said Gintoki, reminiscing the dark times shared with Umibouzu upon meeting Kagura's titan boyfriend, who then tried to force Kagura on marriage and caused rampage with his clan. "I have to make sure that he's a normal human and he doesn't bring dangerous weapon like bazooka everywhere he goes."

Sougo was still ignoring them, so Gintoki continued. "But when I think about it, I'd rather see her with a certain someone that I'm familiar with than with someone I have yet to know, you know? Just because his uncle is a well-known person in the town doesn't mean he can be easily trusted. That fact alone isn't reassuring enough for me." He said, looking at Sougo.

"Eh? Gin-san, are you talking about…"

"I'm flattered, Danna. Are you implying that you are giving me your blessing to be with her?" said Sougo, interrupting Shinpachi. He then stood up, taking his tray with him and putting it on the bin next to them. "Just so we're clear, we're just a friendly rival."

"Funny, I didn't mention anything about you," Gintoki raised his eyebrow.

Sougo's eyes slightly widened by Gintoki's response. "I'm just sayin'." He replied shortly, avoiding Gintoki and Shinpachi's gazes, then he walked to the door.

"Where are you going, Okita-san?"

"Home," he replied without looking back. "I told you, didn't I? I'm just here to have dinner. See ya, Danna, Glasses."

"He just admitted that he's Kagura's friend." said Shinpachi, observing Sougo from the windows as he walked away.

"Yeah, I heard that," said Gintoki. "Man, he is such a dumbass."

* * *

The Shinsengumi was holding a meeting that evening, but Sougo's mind wasn't at the Headquarters; it was somewhere else, back in a booth in the corner of a fast food restaurant.

He didn't know how to put into words how he always thought his presence never meant much for others. Every time new person came, he'd be the one who had to scoot away. By the time anyone tried to reach him out, there would already be too big of a gap for him to leap back. That was what happened with him when the stupid, troublemaking Hijikata arrived at Kondo's dojo years ago.

Kondo reassuringly told him that he'd close the gap when one of them ever went astray, and over the years, Hijikata had become one of very few people in his life that he considered as friends. As much as he hated to admit it, he was aware of all of his motives for rejecting Mitsuba.

But then her sister was gone, making things clear that everyone close to him would eventually be taken away from him. And life hadn't stop to remind him how he was never anyone's priority.

When Kagura saw him with her deep blue eyes without recognizing him at the hospital a few days ago, it felt like a joke for everyone else—that he was just reaping what he sowed, that it was a payback for the childish pranks that he had done to her. But it was far more upsetting that what he'd let on. It felt like he was, again, being easily thrown away from the picture. She reassured him that it wasn't her choice. He tried to believe her.

But then he saw her. All he saw was her—and he didn't know why. Hell, he didn't even know why his feet dragged him to WacDonald's and exchanged one of his coupons, met Gintoki and Shinpachi and misunderstood Gintoki's words and embarrassed himself.

And now he kept rewinding her expression on her mind without being able to stop it. He could even imagine the jokes and the remarks she'd tell the person sitting across her, someone he didn't even bother observing because his eyes were already full of someone he'd been seeking attention from for a few years since the first time they met. He figured that she'd probably hum enka songs or commercial jingles, or impersonating talkshow hosts, or recapping about late night TV dramas, or telling stories about her universe-trotting family.

He kept seeing that laughter. The one he had never seen before when she was with him. Before the accident, she'd pout, she'd hit, she'd kick, she'd try to murder him, she'd curse at him and she'd laugh at him mockingly. Then she changed; she'd smile, she'd watch him move with curiosity and look at him with wonder upon his swordsmanship, she'd ask for his help, she'd talk to him in a manner that would fool anyone who didn't know the monstrous strength that lies beneath that sweet and gentle façade, and she'd giggle politely with her hand on her mouth in a movement that would remind him of Mitsuba. But never that laugh.

She was his rival and enemy most of the time. But if she'd ever show that laugh to him, it would weaken his resolve to beat her anytime. And he didn't know why.

"Sougo, the First Division will accompany me and Kondo-san tomorrow," said HIjikata, breaking him from his intrusive thoughts.

"Huh?"

Hijikata sighed. "We're going undercover, Sougo. A crime syndicate from western Japan is making their move to Edo and we got a tip about their hideout, so we're going to investigate."

"Ah, yes,"

"With this task I'm afraid that your patrol shift in Kabuki-cho shall be halted for a while," Hijikata continued. "Not that I care, but since you don't seem to be fully listening, I think I need to underline that one to you."

"Yes, _Fukuchou_ ," said Sougo sarcastically. "I'm well aware of that."

"All right, then," said Kondo, closing the meeting. "All captains shall make sure that their units are ready tomorrow morning."

Sougo closed his eyes. Should he thank his bosses for tasking him with a job that would distract him from his thoughts? Or should he curse at them because they'd make him unable to see her tomorrow?

* * *

The next morning, Kagura texted Sougo to remind him with their appointment, but he didn't reply. Kagura didn't mind—she guessed that he was probably working. She was excited for today, though. She wanted to tell him that Shohei was pretty good in kendo and martial arts when he showed her some moves on their way back home last night. She'd probably introduce Shohei to Sougo, too, assuming that they'd get along pretty well since they were around the same age.

New messages kept appearing on her phone, but none of them was from the young Shinsengumi captain. It was all from the auburn-haired store clerk, who texted her to ask if she had a good sleep last night. She wasn't into chit-chats but replied them all nonetheless. Soon, it developed into a full conversation and they didn't stop texting until Gintoki complained about teenagers and their cellphone addiction and Kagura had to remind him that he had work and texting would cause him trouble.

"Kagura-chan, do you like Shohei?" asked Shinpachi.

"I do," Kagura nodded, putting her phone in her pocket. "Why?"

"He seems to be infatuated with you," said Gintoki without turning from Ketsuno Ana, who was giving afternoon weather report on TV. "Like Gin-san right here who is chained to the TV, he is chained to his cellphone so he could talk with you all day."

"I only like him as a friend. And I think he feels the same way, too," said Kagura. "Then again, I don't understand the thing grownups say about infatuation, so…,"

"I think he's not liking you merely as a friend, and someone else seems to be bothered with it,"

"Huh?"

"Gin-san!" Shinpachi shot him with a look of warn, afraid that if Gintoki wasn't being careful, Kagura would find out that they had stalked her.

"Who's bothered, Gin-chan?"

The silver-haired man rested his chin on his hand, ignoring Shinpachi's warning. "Someone else. Not me, not Pattsuan."

Kagura frowned. "I don't get it,"

"Kagura, if you're not interested with that konbini guy for anything else but friends," Gintoki finally turned his head to her, "then don't make him hope for more. I know it sounds unfair for you, but you'll upset two different persons at the same time if you do."

"Why are you implying that Shohei is romantically interested with me, Gin-chan?"

"Because he _does_ ," Gintoki rolled his eyes. "Now, did he walk you home?"

Kagura nodded.

"What did he say when he dropped you off?"

"He said he'll text me and he wants to hang with me again,"

"And did he text you good morning and ask if you were sleeping well like a nagging mother?"

"Yes."

"Those are the signs, Kagura," Gintoki crossed his arms and looked at her with victorious look. "I'm a grown ass man, remember? Whatever boys his age do, I already did it eons ago."

"Fine, I get it," said Kagura. "But can't I just stick around? Who knows I'll get interested with him over time."

"I'm just trying to warn you as a grownup that you shouldn't lead someone into thinking that you're feeling the same with him when you don't. But if you want to give him a chance, then it can't be helped," said Gintoki, switching the TV off. "Just… if you're going out with him again, I want to be properly introduced with him."

"Me too, Kagura-chan." Said Shinpachi.

"Okay, okay, I will, don't worry," replied Kagura, aware that the men in front of her were doing this merely to protect her. "But what do you mean with 'I'll upset two different persons at the same time'? Who's the other one? Who's bothered? Is it my father?"

" _That one_ ," Gintoki said, "you'll find out soon enough."

Kagura looked at Shinpachi, hoping he'd give her a clue, but the dark-haired man averted her gaze, so she let out a sigh. She got up and snatched her umbrella. "Very well. I'm going then," she said, walking to the door. "See you guys later."

Kagura flipped her phone open. No new message. She typed, " _Are we still up? I'm on my way to the park_ " and sent the text. Soon she was arrived, but she didn't find anyone aside from children who were playing on the playground and some afternoon joggers.

She waited and waited. Soon, one hour changed to two, and then three. After the fourth hour, along with a worried phone call from Shinpachi, Kagura finally gave up.

 _Maybe he had an important work to do_ , Kagura assured herself as she walked home, the sky was already dark and messages from Shohei chimed in since the past hour—all of which she didn't bother to reply immediately. _If something happened to him, someone would tell me_.

"Ah, Kagura-san!"

Kagura turned. Shohei was behind her, still wearing his Ooedo Mart uniform. He approached her; he was holding a big paper bag with him.

"Hi, Shohei-san," Kagura forced a smile. "Just finished with your shift?"

"Yeah, I did text you that I'm having a double shift today," he explained. "You didn't reply it."

"Sorry, I had an appointment," she gave him an apologetic look. "I planned to reply them as soon as I got home."

"Did you have dentist appointment? Because you don't look very happy right now," said Shohei, looking concerned.

Kagura shook her head, fighting the urge not to cringe at his joke. "No? It's just… he was busy, so he flaked me out,"

"That's a shame, Kagura-san," Shohei remarked. "Was it the police officer that you told me?"

"Yes, it was him," said Kagura. "It can't be helped, though… his job is far more important than training me. I don't want him to get scolded if he chose to slack around with me."

"Why are you training with him? I can train you instead," Shohei offered. "You know, I'm the winner at the local kendo tournament in my city."

"Thanks for your offer, Shohei-san, but I have to decline," said Kagura. "I'm not doing it merely for skills. It's for my memories."

"Memories?"

"Yeah, I had an accident almost a week ago. I lost my memories, so he's helping me to gain them back," she explained. "The loss is partial, but it's enough to have me at disadvantage when we encountered with a Joui faction during one of our Odd Jobs, so it's important for me to regain them soon."

"You haven't told me about that," Shohei widened his eyes. "But don't you think you should rest if the accident occurred just a few days ago?"

"It's okay. I was already discharged from the hospital and the doctor allowed me to do it. The training was necessary for me," she grinned. Before she knew it, she was already in front of Snack Otose, and oddly felt a little bit relieved that she'd be able to avoid Shohei's concerns about her. "Well, here we are. Thanks for walking me home."

"Ah, before you go," he handed her the paper bag, "I've meant to bring this to you. It's a cake. Make sure to share it with your Yorozuya, okay?"

"Wh-why are you giving me this? Isn't this expensive?"

"Don't worry about the price. It's just a token of gratitude from me to you," he smiled, then nervously added, "with a wish that you'd hang out with me again sometime soon."

"Thank you, Shohei-san," Kagura waved at him as she ascend the stairs to the second floor. "I'll look forward to see you again, okay?"

Soon after Shohei was gone, she went inside Yorozuya Gin-chan. Shinpachi and Gintoki greeted her but she didn't come to the living room to greet them back; instead, she walked to the kitchen and opened the box of the cake carefully. Inside were three slices of vanilla cake with strawberry filling.

She leaned her back to the kitchen wall and looked at the ceiling, sighing. She wanted to tell Sougo about her new friend and probably take him out to WacDonald's, but all he did today was make her wait for hours without a word. She said it herself that she was aware that he had work to do, and she probably shouldn't go to the park until he'd confirm his availability, but still, she felt weirdly uneasy.

Was he avoiding her? Was he the one who Gintoki said would be the other person bothered with her going out with someone else? But why?

Upon seeing the cake, she gulped. She had seen this before, but when? She felt something stuck on her throat, like something was burning—was it disappointment?

She decided that she wasn't in the mood for cake at the moment, putting them back to the box. _I'll just give them all to Gin-chan and Shinpachi_. She then pulled a box of her sukonbu from her other pocket and took one strip into her mouth. She pondered as she nibbled the sour and salty pickled seaweed, how it didn't necessarily taste good at the beginning, but there was a certain comfort to it that kept her coming back for more.

Somehow, the sukonbu reminded her to his presence.

* * *

[1] A pun to Japanese word _jimi_ , meaning "plain".

[2] Attack on Titan.

* * *

A/N:

Some of you might dislike Shohei, but I just had to create a character that would trigger Sougo's possessiveness and there's no way I could make it out from the canon characters. I promise that Shohei won't stick around as Sougo's rival, though, because love triangle isn't the main idea of this fic but rather only serves as a subplot to help these losers figure out their feelings.

And Gintoki *is* giving his blessing to him, but since he's Kagura's foster father, he's not making it easy for Sougo lmao. Also, there isn't much Okikagu interaction in this chapter, but there's an important development on Kagura's part as she is slowly starting to realize the importance of Sougo's presence. Sougo is still such a stubborn dumbass, though. Also, does anyone catch the reference with the cake and burned throat? Clue: Rokkaku Arc, lol.

There'll be a major Okikagu action next, involving the continuation of Kagura's effort to regain her memories Rokkaku Arc. What will happen when Kagura remember it all? Will Sougo finally acknowledge his feelings for Kagura? Until next chapter!


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Break the Fourth Wall for Plot Convenience**

* * *

Chapter summary: Sougo fought back and Kagura began to sort out her feelings.

* * *

Last night's investigation happened in a blur. Sougo was mainly dozing off during the stakeout, letting Yamazaki and Hijikata doing most of the work while Kondo and the rest of his First Division squadron were on standby. Apparently, no moves were made by the suspects, and to be honest, Sougo wasn't even aware who the Shinsengumi was targeting. He didn't even listen most of their meeting yesterday.

Realizing that they shouldn't waste their energy further, Kondo commanded the Shinsengumi to return to the Headquarters and remain on standby until Yamazaki notify them for any suspicious moves from the syndicate. That would mean Sougo was expected to be back in his patrol shift at Kabuki-cho. He half-regretted his impulsive request for an additional week of patrolling, which was granted by Kondo with a laugh and a pat on a head, saying something about him finally growing up. He didn't quite catch what Kondo meant by that, and he wasn't interested to ask about it.

So he lied down on the tatami inside his room with the sleep mask attached on his eyes, ditching work and trying his best to not to reread Kagura's messages and type his reply.

 _You're being childish_. He could hear his own voice mockingly whispered to him.

 _I am,_ he replied. _But it's not like I flake on her on purpose. I had work yesterday._

 _Then why are you here? Avoiding her again?_

"I'm not avoiding her," he said out loud. At the same time, he could hear footsteps approaching.

"You're talking to yourself. Have you gone crazy or what, Sougo?"

Sougo pulled his sleep mask and sighed when he saw Hijikata, standing at the door and looking at him with his perpetual glare. Sougo clicked his tongue then rolled, turning his back on the Vice-Commander.

Hijikata walked to his room albeit his subordinate's uninviting behavior. "You're skipping work again."

"What else is new?" Sougo yawned.

Hijikata glared at him, then he continued. "You're the one who requested the extension, so the least you can do is be responsible of your own decision and do your usual tax-robbing activity in Kabuki-cho park or whatever."

Sougo remained lying down without moving.

"Did something happen between you and the girl?"

"Who?"

"Sougo, you're like, 21 years old now. You're no longer the youngest Shinsengumi member. Don't you think it's time to grow up and face your problems instead doing this sort of shit? You've been sulking in two different chapters of this fanfiction right now, it's getting old."

As expected from the famed Followkata Toshifollow—he'd always know what to say.

"Tch. Why you, Hijikata-san?" Sougo grumbled. He slammed his sleeping mask on to the tatami and he sat up. "Why is it always you who find me skipping my work?"

"Trust me, I don't know either," the Mayora shrugged. "I think 'Calling Out on Sougo' is a trope that Gintama fanfiction authors love to use on me, and this author is no exception."

"Yeah, yeah. I know where this leads," said Sougo, pouting. "In the next two lines I'm going to give up and begrudgingly tell you what's on my mind."

Hijikata hummed. "I heard it from the Yorozuya when we bumped to each other at the restaurant," he said, "that she asked you to train her. Something must've happened from there."

"Yeah, she went on a date with a random original character," Sougo deadpanned. "I want to kill the author for writing him."

"Fourth wall break aside, _don't_. The Shinsengumi's reputation is already bad enough without you killing innocent civilians," said Hijikata.

"He stole her away from me." He grumbled. "I was supposed to have a dinner with her too, you know—"

"She's not yours to begin with, you brat,"

"She's not mine. I know it. And she never will be. I'm going to step out of the picture, _juuust_ like what I did when you came to the dojo, Hijikata-san."

Hijikata stared at Sougo, confused. "What are you talking about?"

"Hijikata-san," he said. His shoulder was limping and he looked more like an idiot than the Prince of Sadist people claimed him to be. "You know what I'm talking about."

The raven haired police officer rubbed his temple in annoyance. "You're still talking about _that_ , after all these years?"

"It looks like it's my destiny, Hijikata-san," Sougo hugged his knees. "That I'm just a second priority for everyone around."

"Are you blind or are you just _that_ selfish, Sougo?"

"Huh?"

"First of all, for the record, I never intended to steal Kondo-san or… _her_ from you."

"Really." he scoffed.

"I don't care whether you believe it or not," Hijikata took final long drag from the dying cigarette. "I didn't even have any intention to stick around in Kondo-san's dojo at that time. But then I found out that even a troublemaking misfit like me can have my purposes—and I know for sure the two of them weren't the only reasons why."

Sougo were both surprised and not. He knew his reasons all along, but to have him actually saying it to him was something he wouldn't expect.

"You're the one who strayed on your own," said Hijikata. "I never wanted to compete with you about being anyone's favorites. I think your issue with the girl is the same, Sougo. So the girl hangs with another person—then what? Is she going to marry him tomorrow?"

"So what is your point, _Fukuchou_?"

"I think you understand my point about getting the hell out of here and say what you need to say to her."

"You're crazy, Hijikata-san," he grumbled. "If I ever tried to do anything… she'll laugh at me and things will get awkward. Then we'll get apart and I'll lose her."

"Yeah, but if you didn't do anything, you'll eventually lose her too. What's the difference?" he continued as he puffed smokes from his Mayoboro. "If you're going to lose her both ways, then pick the one where your feelings can reach her."

Sougo scoffed again.

"Don't be a coward like me." Hijikata said finally.

The words echoed in his ears. Sougo felt like there were other words in the air, as if the Vice-Commander wanted to say more about the unspoken name. But Hijikata didn't say it and Sougo didn't ask for it, either—because he already knew. _I never told her what I feel until the end. She never knew that our feelings have always been mutual; don't be a coward like me_.

 _Goddammit, Hijikata_.

The younger Shinsengumi member silently got up to put on his gold-trimmed black jacket and walked to the door with the katana on his hand.

"Hijikata-san," Sougo muttered.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

There was a beat a silence as Hijikata looked at him, seemingly a little bit taken aback. "You're welcome," he replied. "Also, make sure you hand in your report by the end of this week."

"Choke on your mayonnaise and die, Hijikata-san," said Sougo as he walked past Hijikata to the engawa, twirling the patrol car key on his finger. "I'm going."

"Ah, no, you're not going with that," Hijikata snatched the key off his finger. "You're hours late to your shift and you still want to use patrol car? How about committing seppuku first?"

Sougo glared at his superior. "I will literally put potassium cyanide on your mayonnaise tonight."

* * *

That afternoon, Yorozuya apartment was in their usual chaotic fashion. Gintoki was cranky after Kagura accidentally knocked down the whole carton of Gintoki's strawberry milk that he put on the coffee table as he was entranced with Ketsuno Ana on TV. He looked like he was ready to went on a rage, but managed to suppress it after seeing her genuine apologetic look.

"Go to Ooedo Mart and buy two, no, _three_ of them." Gintoki said to her as he looked at the pooling pink liquid on the floor with visible irritation on his face.

"Shinpachi, let me do it!" said Kagura when Shinpachi returned from the bathroom with a bucket and a mop.

"No, it's fine, Kagura-chan."

"I'm sorry for causing you trouble, Gin-chan, Shinpachi," replied Kagura, curving her mouth downward. "I'll be back soon."

"Five minutes, okay? Five minutes!" shouted Gintoki as Kagura walked to the door. The girl hummed in reply and walked outside.

She sighed, and pulled her phone to check for any notification for the nth time of the day. There were several unread messages from Shohei, the ones she hadn't got time to reply, but nothing from Sougo.

 _This is frustrating_ , she thought. She hated the feeling of trying to figure out anything—actions she did and words she said that might offend him. Negative thoughts kept filling her mind after 24 hours without reply from him, and she started to blame herself for it for being too self-centered, for thinking that everything must have been about her. She tried to reassure herself that he was a police officer with a responsibility beyond patrolling around Kabuki-cho, which was only a small portion of such a big city.

Still, the little voices on the back of her mind betrayed her from time to time, asking silly questions. _What if he decided to ditch this challenge?_ was one of them, and she let the question consume her. _Of course he would. I don't feel like I have any significant progress with my memories._ Suddenly, she felt like her stomach had dropped. She didn't like the thought, but she couldn't escape it, either.

That was when her heart skipped a beat. The idea of him not coming back made heat rose all the way to her face. _Why am I making a fuss about this?_ She thought.

The automatic door to Ooedo Mart whirred open, distracting her from her thoughts. Kagura walked inside, and a pair of brown eyes looked at her with surprise.

"Kagura-san!" Shohei enthusiastically stepped out from the back of the cashier. "Haven't heard of you in a while."

"We literally met yesterday, Shohei-san," said Kagura, gazing at Shohei's hands that were gripping her shoulders. "Uh, personal space?"

Realizing what he did, Shohei pulled his hands, his face turned red. " _Sorry_! I did it on reflex!" he nervously scratched his temple. "May I help you?"

Kagura grinned and shook her head as she reached two cartons of strawberry milk. "I already found what I need,"

"That's too bad, I really wish you'll need my help," he said, then he turned to another clerk with shoulder-length hair at the cashier. "Hey, Satoshi, how many hour do I have left on my shift?"

The man looked at his watch, then replied, "About one hour or so."

"Thanks, buddy!" Shohei turned to Kagura again. "Do you want to hang out later after I ended my shift?"

Kagura was not in the mood for socializing, but then realized that maybe Shohei would distract her from her worries. "Okay, but I have to bring these to Gin-chan first. He'll get grumpy if I'm not going back soon," she said. "Where are we going?"

"How about the park?" Shohei suggested. "I see you're not training with the police officer again today, so I'll train with you in his place instead, how about that?"

She was close to declining his suggestion, but she thought that it wasn't a bad idea. She needed to train, with or without Sougo. So she nodded, giving him a little smile. "I'll see you in an hour, then."

* * *

When she returned to her house shared with her nagging Earth dad, she decided to check on herself on the mirror. That was when she noticed that she had been wearing the kanzashi scrunchie that Sougo gave to her for the past few days in different hairstyles—today was the half-up.

Absently, she felt the texture of the red and pink fabric flowers on her hair. Then she pulled it off, putting it aside, and pulled her old black buns and purple fringe hair pieces that were laying near the sink, untouched for days since her accident.

She sighed and put it on.

 _The buns made you look like an idiot. I like it when you look like one._

She tried to push aside an image of the Prince of Sadist on her head. That was when her phone buzzed in her pocket. She pull it out and saw a message from Shohei, notifying that he was already at the door. She walked to the living room, where Gintoki and Shinpachi were watching television.

"Gin-chan, Shinpachi," said Kagura. "Shohei-san is here to pick me up. I told him you guys want to see him, so he's going to come in."

Gintoki's eyes didn't leave the TV. "He is?" he responded. "Why didn't you tell us sooner?"

"Calm down, Gin-san, remember not to overreact!" warned Shinpachi. "I'm gonna go and make some tea!" he rushed to the kitchen.

"You're the only one overreacting, Shinpachi. Don't worry about tea," said Kagura as she pushed Shinpachi back to the couch. "We're just going to sit for five minutes and we'll go, get it?"

"Yeah, yeah, understood," said Gintoki. "Bring him in."

Kagura walked to the door and opened it up. Shohei walked in, wearing black haori and a shinai was attached on his hakama and politely nodded to Gintoki and Shinpachi. "Nice to meet you, Gintoki-san, Shinpachi-san. I'm Shohei, Kagura-san's friend,"

"Ah, yes, nice to meet you too," replied Gintoki coolly. " _Sooo_. Where are you taking Kagura, Shohei-kun?"

"We're going to train at the park today," replied Shohei, pointing to his shinai.

"Oh, so you're Kagura's rebound while the Sadist is temporarily busy with work," Gintoki mused.

" _Gin-san!_ " warned Shinpachi.

"I'm just kidding."

"I'm aware that maybe I'm not as good as Okita-san," Shohei chuckled. "But Kagura-san agreed to do it, and I guess it's better to train with a novice than none at all, right Kagura-san?"

"Yeah," she said, forcing a smile upon hearing the name.

An awkward silence. She hated the chemistry in this room.

"Say, Okuda-san. Aren't you from Kansai?" asked Shinpachi.

"Yes," he replied. "But I was born and raised in a small town in Shizuoka, and moved to a village in the outskirts of Kyou when I was 12. That's why I don't have any accent."

"Huh," said Gintoki. "Is that so."

Another awkward silence. Shohei rubbed his hands anxiously as Gintoki and Shinpachi observed him.

"What is that on your wrist?" the silver permed samurai pointed at a red mark under Shohei's haori.

"Ah, this," he abruptly pulled his haori to cover his hand, "It's a birthmark."

Aware of the tense from her foster father, Kagura cleared her throat. "I think we should get going."

"Already?" asked Shohei.

"Yeah," Kagura got up from the couch and pulled Shohei's upper arm. "I'll see you guys later."

Kagura decided that Shohei didn't meet swordsmanship skill of Sougo's, but he had noticeable agility and speed. He was able to dodge her attacks when she charged from afar, but in close combat, she had the upper hand. She didn't have to wonder why; unlike her who had been battered in so many battles with various creatures since she was young, Shohei seemed to be a common citizen.

This, Kagura mused, was not enough. Shohei was… fun. But he didn't spark her adrenaline and made her blood rush like Sougo would. With Shohei, she had to put so much restraints on herself. She used so little of her energy, like she would do when she played with the neighborhood boys.

Kagura mentally cursed at herself for keep rewinding that name. She told herself not to compare apples with oranges.

They sparred for around twenty minutes before sitting down on the bench.

"Gin-san hates me." Shohei stated.

"Don't mind him," Kagura sighed. "He acts that way to everyone."

Shohei didn't seem to be convinced, and Kagura felt a little bad about it.

"Say, Kagura-san. Why do you use umbrella to defend yourself?" asked Shohei.

Kagura softly traced her fingers at the purple umbrella on her lap, the one that she brought along her from her home planet to Earth. Then she looked up to the man, his bamboo sword had been put aside. "I don't know either. It's just something I'm used with. It can both protect me from the sun and the bad guys."

"Now that you've mentioned it, are you sensitive to the sun, Kagura-san?"

"Yes. Very," she replied. "Taking sun lightly have once brought disaster to me."

"Tell me about it."

"Well, a few years ago, there was a heatwave in Edo," she recalled. "Long story short, some stupid person snatched my umbrella from me. I fell unconscious."

 _Wait,_ she thought. _Did I?_ She remembered one time when heat wave caught Edo, and it was so hot and damp she sweated like a pig. She remembered falling to the ground due to the dizziness, and how she was brought to the hospital by Gintoki and Shinpachi. But the rest of it was a blur, like most of her memories shared with _him_.

Shohei hummed at her reply. "It's… unusual, but considering you're still doing your daily activity without problem, then I guess it's nothing new," he shrugged. "But I'm surprised. A lot of people are weak to the sun. It's no wonder why you have a pale skin. You're practically a Dracula!" he laughed at his own jokes.

 _Rest assured, Princess_. A voice that wasn't hers or Shohei's popped on her mind. _She… she… ain't gonna die until me and her settle things for good_.

Any flashbacks she had must have been about _him_ again, and Kagura wasn't in the mood for it.

She shook her head, brushing it off. "Shut up, Sadist."

"I'm sorry?"

Kagura chuckled nervously. "Sorry. It's nothing!" she said quickly. "I was distracted."

Shohei stared at her confusedly, his eyebrows furrowed. "How do you remember a story happened a few years ago but not about an accident occurred less than two weeks ago?" asked Shohei, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Oh yeah, I haven't told you about it. I don't remember how it happened, so I'm telling it from the sole witness' perspective," she began. "I was with an _assho_ —someone, a friend. We had our usual banter, which turned into a spar. Long story short, I chased him to a building, one that was left to dilapidate after the Altana War. I tried to trap him, but it backfired. The floor where I stood crumbled down, and it happened so fast he was unable to catch me, so I… fell down, head first. I have traumatic brain injury and a partial memory loss."

"Wow," Shohei exhaled, his face was aghast. "You fell down head first? And you're still alive?"

"It sounds unbelievable, but I've seen things crazier than this. Living in Kabuki-cho, working as the Yorozuya, befriending Katsura-san… crazy things are bound to happen." She mumbled.

"I see," he nodded. "Aside from your fighting ability, what else wiped from your memory?" he asked.

"The Sadist," she muttered. "I mean, Okita-san."

"Let me guess," said Shohei. "Did it happen on that day at Ooedo Mart? Where you and Okita-san was fighting over Chuuberts and sukonbu?"

She blinked. "Maybe it was,"

Shohei grabbed her hand. "What is it that you see from him, Kagura-san?" he asked. "Why are you always with him despite the fact that you always having constant fight with him?"

Kagura looked at her hand on Shohei's, trying to pull it away softly, but his grip was a little too tight to pull away without seeming rude. "Uhh," she grunted. "I don't know? But we don't fight as much now that I'm basically a different person in his eyes, and I consider him as a friend."

"And where is he now?"

A silence. "Working?"

"You don't sound so sure."

"Why does this matter, Shohei-san?"

"Because I don't like it when you hang around with him, Kagura-san," he said. Then he let go of her hand. "The relationship you have with him doesn't seem very healthy. He's so violent to you, and it seems like he brings danger to you whenever he's around… and…," he stopped when he saw Kagura looking at him with a frown. "Just. Please. Don't hang with him anymore."

A heat rushed to Kagura's neck and face. _What is this guy talking about?_ Then before she knew it, Shohei cupped his hands on her cheeks. She was surprised upon seeing that he, too, was blushing.

"I…," she stuttered, unable to comprehend this situation. Their faces were so close, and that was when she realized that the heat was due to irritation and not anything else.

"It's too bad," said Shohei, pouting. "I think I'm jealous."

Shohei was nice, and kind. But she didn't like what he said about Sougo. Then she remembered Gintoki's advice: _don't lead someone into believing that you like them when you're not_.

Suddenly, a loud noise came from her pocket—her phone was ringing. She didn't waste the opportunity to turn her face away to pick it up.

"Sorrygottapickitup," she said quickly to Shohei, and put the phone on her ear. "He-hello?"

" _Where are you, China?_ "

She froze. Slowly, she pulled her phone from her ear and saw the caller ID— _Sadist_.

"I-I'm at Kabuki-cho park," she answered, stuttering as she didn't expect him to _actually_ appear before her eyes. Well, right now it was only his voice, but _still_. "Why?"

" _Are you still in for the challenge or what?_ "

"Well—I-I'm actually—"

" _I'm picking you up right now. Wait for me at the entrance_."

 _Click_. He hung up. Kagura clenched her phone, her back turned on Shohei as she was unable to face him.

"That's Okita-san," said Shohei slowly. "Am I right?"

She didn't answer.

"What is he to you?" he asked.

"I'm sorry, but I think it's none of your business, Shohei-san."

"You like him, don't you?"

That question lingered in the air.

 _Do I?_

"I… I don't know." She said.

"It's an answer given when you _do_ like someone but you don't want to admit it yet."

"Stop it, Shohei-san," she said, sharply. "And about what you said earlier… you don't know him… or me. So don't presume."

"But—"

"I'm sorry, Shohei-san. But before you get the wrong idea, I only intended to be friends with you and not anything else—especially for you dictating my life."

Before Shohei could respond, she ran as fast as her shaky feet could bring. Her eyes and face felt so hot like she would melt. She heard Shohei calling her name, but she didn't look back. All she was thinking was somebody else.

She blamed it all on the criminals who prevented him to see her, if it even existed in the first place. She blamed it all on him, for being so confusing and frustrating and irritating and not replying her messages and flaking out.

He said it himself—the two of them were not involved in such affair, and would never be. Any thought of being something else beyond what they were having would be a wishful thinking. She didn't even want to imagine it.

But then she remembered his face when he saw her with a pained look when she asked who he was. Or his smirk when he teased her. Or when he bought him food with a week's worth of salary without complain. Or his hand on her hair, gently braiding them. Or his fiery reddish-brown eyes, along with determined, unrestrained, but well-calculated movements when he clashed his shinai with her umbrella. Or the melancholic look on his face when he said she reminded him of a sister she loved so much.

 _I'm not in love with him,_ she thought as she saw the sight of sandy brown hair leaning his back lazily on the statue near the park entrance, and that was the same time she felt her heart thrumming hard like it would explode as she fought back the tears that began welling up her eyes.

She sent her fist to Sougo's face.

* * *

Sougo flipped his phone close with a smug grin.

Thirty minutes ago, Hijikata's word lingered in his ears. Goddamned Hijikata always got him good. Sougo was being unfair with her over something that shouldn't be a big deal. He decided to man up and went to see her. She was usually at the park during this time of the day if the Yorozuya Boss didn't exploit her and the glasses for unpaid job.

Then he found her sitting side by side with the random guy, and he felt like his stomach dropped upon the view.

He didn't know why, but that sight made his blood boil even worse than that day on WacDonald's. At the same time, he probably knew the reason for his anger—but his pride prevented him from spelling it out.

Then, as he was trying hard not to make his presence known, that bastard of a convenient store clerk slowly moved closer in their already dangerous proximity between him and the girl—and that was when his hand began moving by itself and pulled his phone. Part of him wanted to kill Hijikata for reminding him to go to work. Another part of him wanted to jump at them and kill the auburn-haired man. But a rarely-appearing logical and mature side of him said _stop them,_ and thankfully, he was wise enough to opt for it.

When he saw the girl hurriedly leave the bastard, he knew he nailed it. He didn't know how he did it, but he managed to pull off a blank face as the girl approached her.

"China—"

A punch landed on his left cheek. "Ouch!" he shouted, his hand holding his bruised face. "What was that for?!"

"Where the hell have you been, stupid Sadist?!" she yelled as she tried to hit him with her umbrella, all of which he was barely able to dodge. "I waited for you for _four hours_ yesterday. I thought I offended you when you talk about your sister—and I thought you've backed away from the challenge for good! And then you suddenly appear like nothing happened!"

That revelation surprised him. She _did_ think of him. Suddenly, he felt a little warm—until she gave him two whacks from her umbrella.

"China— _ouch!_ Listen—"

"Stupid, selfish, idiot Sadist—"

"Are you just going to beat me to death or what?!" he pulled the tip of her umbrella just before it could hit his skull. She stopped, surprised. Then he snatched her umbrella off her hand.

"Give my umbrella back!" she said.

"I won't unless you listen," he said, sticking his tongue out. Then he pulled her wrist. "Come."

"Where are you taking me?!"

"Just come, I won't do anything lewd, I promise."

"Hey," said Kagura. "Where are we going?"

"We're going here," he said as he slowed down his steps at the riverbank of Kabuki-cho.

"You don't have to grip this hard, you know. It hurts," she complained, rubbing her wrist. Realizing what he had done, he harshly let go of it as if he'd been touching dirty rags, his fingers left red marks of the soft, porcelain-like skin.

"Because if I didn't, you would keep hitting me," he replied, then he signaled her to follow him. "Say. Do you remember something about this place?" he asked as they walked to the bridge.

She tried searching on her mind, but before she could find anything, Sougo pointed at the dents on the retaining wall of the riverbank.

"You see those?" Kagura nodded. "The damages were done by us."

" _We_ made those holes?"

"Yeah. It was three years ago," he replied. "I see they haven't fixed that one. Can't be helped. War occurred not long after that."

"What did we do that it led up to that?"

Sougo paused for a moment. "We… were making a promise,"

"What kind of promise did we make?"

"To get stronger, generally," he said. "It was the dawn of the war. The Shinsengumi were leaving Edo in the hands of your Yorozuya, and it was the last time we'd see each other until months later... so we decided to have one final spar. We made a promise to get stronger so we can beat the shit out of Utsuro and Naraku when we meet again."

"So… it was a farewell."

Sougo couldn't help but a little surprised with the response, that she instantly knew what happened.

"Did we keep the promise, in the end?"

"We did."

"Why are you telling me this now?" Kagura asked. "I thought you always give me hints and let me find out the rest on my own."

"That's because I'm not trying to help you regain your memory. Right now, I'm trying to give you a point," he replied, impatience could be heard on his tone, "that a challenge is just like a promise, and I never broke promises. Especially, not the ones I made with you. Backing away means losing, and surely you already heard enough about how much we don't want to lose from each other."

The girl didn't say anything. She just kept staring at him, each flutter of the bat of her eyelashes made him want to jump to the water of the cringey words he said.

"Sorry I flaked you out," he said finally. "It won't happen again. Also, you didn't offend me, so you can relax."

"That's a relief," she said, leaning to the bridge as she observed on two cracked holes on the retaining walls.

"You're still mad, aren't you?"

"Who wouldn't?" she rolled her eyes. "Four hours isn't a short time. Anyone would be pissed."

"You really want to meet me, I see." He teased, while his mind screaming _stop spouting stupid words you moron_.

Sougo swore he could see a tint of pink from her cheeks. "Get over yourself, stupid." She said, looking away.

"What's with that weak retort?" he clicked his tongue mockingly. Then, after a pause, he asked, "Do you remember when Shinsengumi had to leave Edo?"

"In fragments, yeah, I do," she nodded. "I didn't remember you being there, though."

"Is that so," he looked away. "W-well… China, I'm a little thirsty. I'm going to buy something from the vending machine; you want anything?"

"One Koronamin-C, please," she replied. "Thanks."

Then, as Sougo crossed the bridge to the vending machine at the other side of the road, thoughts began rushing on his head. He reminded himself for the umpteenth time that it wasn't her choice, but the honest reply somehow felt like a thumbtack poking his heart. It didn't hurt, but it did sting a little.

While waiting his coffee being prepared on the vending machine, he couldn't help but to take a glance to the girl. She looked like she was thinking hard—like those times when she had memory flashbacks. He saw her gripping the handle of her umbrella a little too hard that her knuckles turned white, and suddenly the coffee felt a little too long to make. She wasn't even aware of him approaching her after he was done until he poked her cheek with the cold Koronamin-C bottle.

"What did you see, China?"

"Many things—" she said, holding the unopened vitamin drink, "—at the same time…"

"Remember what Danna said—don't push yourself too hard."

But it was a little too late to say them. Soon after, he could hear a voice of shattered glass, then a loud thump. The Koronamin-C slipped away from her hand, along with her umbrella. Kagura's face went paler than she already was. Her body fell down as she lost her consciousness in a battle of saving him from the black hole of her memories.

* * *

Kagura opened her eyes as she felt pain was throbbing her head like it was being drilled. Pretty sure she was standing on a bridge connecting the roads separated by Kabuki-cho river a while ago, so why was she seeing the familiar _Sugar Content_ sign now?

She remembered her quick conversation with Sougo about promises. About he'd never break promises made between them. It was… endearing.

Then she began seeing another flashbacks—lots of it. The nighttime, the ocean, the island, the cliffs, the crows, about how close she was from her rendezvous with death. All the views that made her shudder, shifting so quickly that it made her nauseous, and suddenly her head felt empty.

The last thing she saw was him forgetting his cup of coffee and catching her back before it could hit the ground.

After the pain slowly drifted away, she tried to sit up. That was when she saw Sougo, asleep sitting up next to her feet at the other end of the couch, his arms crossed, and his head limped to the right. Soft strands of his hair in a color that reminded her of cappuccino were falling to his face.

She didn't know what possessed her as she moved closer. Her hands slowly moved to brush the hair away. The soft texture made her wonder—how could a guy that was notorious for being unforgiving and cruel in battles could have such gentle features?

Then again, he had shown her enough of him beyond his façade.

Realizing the proximity, she removed her hand from his hair—but his hand caught her fingers.

"What are you doing?" he said, his voice was raspy.

Kagura gulped. "S-sorry! I thought you were sleeping."

"I was," he replied, a pair of reddish brown eyes resting on her face. "Until you wake me up."

"Sorry," she quickly apologized, moving her hand to remove the faint touch of his. "What happened to me?"

"You fainted," he explained, still staring at her intently. "I brought you here and not the hospital because it's closer and I had to carry your heavy body all the way here."

"You… carried me?"

"I didn't have any choice."

"You saved me again," she muttered. "I-I'm sorry. I'm just being a pain in the ass."

"Stop saying that."

"Huh?"

"You're not being a pain in the ass," he said. "And even if you do, I don't mind it."

"What do you mean—"

Slowly, he lifted his hand to Kagura's strands of hair at the side of her face to gently tuck them behind her ears.

"You're wearing the dango again today," he said. "Are you finally admitting that you look better as an idiot?

"That's because I was mad at you that I put off the scrunchie and changed to this." She croaked.

Sougo paused at her reply, then he smiled. "It's fine. You look good in both." He whispered.

His fingers faintly pulled her closer to him—or maybe she was moving on her own as well; she couldn't tell and she didn't care. She shut her eyes as their distance was slowly vanishing, they were so close that she could feel his breaths.

 _Just a little more._

" _I'm hooome,_ " a familiar voice was heard on the door.

Like being awakened from a trance, she shot her eyes open and stood up too fast that it made her head bump with Sougo's on the process. As both grunted in pain, she could hear two pairs of feet walking to their direction.

"I'm home! Huh? Kagura-chan, you're already here?" said Shinpachi as he stepped inside the Yorozuya. "And… Okita-san? What are you doing here?"

Gintoki followed not long after. "Yo, Okita-kun. Training her at home today, I see."

Sougo flicked the tear from the corner of his eyes with his one hand that came from the pain and rubbed his forehead with the other. "We didn't," he grunted. "This stupid girl went too hard on herself and fainted."

"Are you okay, Kagura-chan?!"

"Yes, I'm okay, Shinpachi," she replied.

"Should we go to the hospital, Kagura?"

"No, no, I'm already fine, Gin-chan,"

"What's with the bump on your heads? Were you on headbutting contest or something?" asked Gintoki, pointing at them.

"What are you talking about, Gin-chan?! We didn't do anything!"

"That's crazy, Danna. I wouldn't even think to do that."

They said it at the same time, Sougo's voice a little louder than usual. Both Gintoki and Shinpachi stared at them with a confused look.

"I don't get what you guys are talking about, but whatever," said Gintoki. "Uh, Okita-kun, what's up with that face?"

Kagura glanced at Sougo. He immediately looked down upon Gintoki's remark, but his bright red ears were still visible. She didn't know if his face turned that way due to embarrassment or anger.

Maybe it was both.

"It's nothing," he muttered. Then he walked through the opened shoji. "Well, since Danna and Shinpachi-kun are here, they can take care of you. I'm leaving, guys. See ya."

"Why does he look so angry?" Shinpachi pondered, looking concerned after Sougo quickly left the house.

Kagura wanted to chase him, but she didn't know what to do if she did. Still unable to process the things that just happened, she went frozen.

* * *

"Oi, Kagura,"

It was late at night after Shinpachi left after dinner. The two of them were sitting on the living room with a can of beer on Gintoki's hand and sukonbu on Kagura's mouth while they watched talkshow while Sadaharu was snuggling sleepily on the office chair. Kagura's eyes locked on the idols on TV even though it was very obvious to anyone to see that her mind was wandering elsewhere.

"Oi, Kagura, I'm talking to you."

"Huh?" the girl turned from the TV. "What, Gin-chan?"

"Is something bugging you? You can tell Gin-san anything, you know," he said. Kagura stared at him hesitantly. "But don't rush it if you're not ready." He quickly added.

She paused. "Promise me you won't freak out," she said, "and don't ask for names."

"Yeah, promise."

"Shohei-san tried to kiss me today."

Gintoki choked on his beer. He was expecting another bitter spats with the police officer, not _this_.

"Are you okay, Gin-chan?!"

"Yes, yes, I'm okay," he said between his coughs. He grabbed tissue and wiped his mouth. "I'm just a little surprised," he sat back to the couch. "So… why didn't he succeed?"

"It turned out that you were right, Gin-chan. Our feelings aren't mutual. Also, someone else appeared," she continued. "Then… this certain someone tried to kiss me, too."

That made him choke even more. He spat his beer from his nose and mouth as he coughed violently that Kagura had to get up and give him water to calm him down.

"Are you sure you're okay, Gin-chan? Do you still want me to continue?"

"I-I-I'm fine. Please proceed." He exhaled after he drank his water.

Kagura stared at him with concern, but decided to do what he asked. "T-then… I realized that my mind is filled with this certain someone."

 _Finally_ , Gintoki thought. Half of him couldn't believe that there'd be a day in this household where they'd talk about her love life. No matter how tried he'd assure himself that he'd be perfectly capable to handle teenager matters, it was an inevitable change that every parent would had a hard time admitting that the child they've been raising—even it was just for a short time for his case—was finally growing up.

However, half of him was also relieved that he was right all along. She didn't mention any name but he could guess who the person would be. The idiots he'd been seeing chasing each other for _years_ … there had been sparks that everyone but them could see. Unknowing people would consider them as a violent, abusive friendship. But Gintoki knew both of them too well to understand that they never wanted to kill each other, at the very least. As weird as it sounded, they _did_ respect each other. They also had been fighting side by side too many times to prove it. They just didn't say it out loud.

Then again, samurais spoke better with swords. And in their case, their subsequent weapons had already said it all.

Kagura and Sougo never knew it, but Gintoki and Shinpachi had casually brought up this topic a few times with the Shinsengumi while the two of them were biting each other's heads—that if someday the exchange of insults turned into exchange of pick-up lines and sweet nothings, they'd be surprised no more.

"Gin-chan?"

"Ah, I'm sorry," he said. "So… what stopped you two from doing it?"

"Because two people interrupted us." She responded.

Gintoki immediately connected the two and two together. He was a little thankful to the Gods above for making him and Shinpachi arrive faster. It would be hella awkward to step on them making out, and even when he preferred Sougo over a mob character, he wouldn't trust two young adults in love—even though they were currently in denial, but _still_ —at an empty house. He was once their age, after all.

"He likes you, so what's the problem?"

"I-I don't think it immediately meant that way, Gin-chan, I could be misreading things," she replied. "Besides… I only knew him for a week. Is it even normal?"

"But your umbrella and your muscles had known him for a while, aren't they?" he asserted.

Kagura looked back up, looking surprised. "Gin-chan…," a shade of pink began blushing her cheeks. "Do you know who I'm talking about?"

"Kagura, you live with me," he said as he raised his eyebrow. "It would be weird if I don't."

"Please don't mention his name," she quickly babbled, her face was completely red now. "It's embarrassing."

"Yeah, okay," he said. "So he tried to kiss you, and unlike the one with Shohei-kun, you wanted it too. Correct?" Kagura nodded. "What's the matter, then?"

"What makes you think he likes me?"

Gintoki pinched the bridge of his nose. "Look, Kagura, we're so sorry," he said. "Try not to flip the table, okay? But we followed you when you went to dinner with Shohei-kun."

That made her look aghast. "Y-you followed me? With _him_?"

"No!" he quickly sputtered. "It was just me and Shinpachi, and we just want to make sure you're okay. But surprisingly, he was there too. He couldn't take his eyes off you. I swear to God, he looked like he was ready to jump at Shohei-kun anytime. Trust me, I tried dropping hints to you for a while. But you said want to give Shohei-kun a chance, so I backed away."

"The thing is… if him trying to kiss you wasn't enough of a prove... then this one should. Me and Shinpachi followed you because we were worried of you as your family. But he was different case; if he didn't like you, he wouldn't go as far as stalking you like that." He continued. But Gintoki knew the girl was no longer listening. She seemed to be lost in thoughts, or maybe still trying to process the truth.

"Oh no, you're really mad, are you," he lamented. "Gin-san is making excuses that you can't accept. I'm sorry, Gin-san is such a bad parent."

"That's not it," she quickly said, shaking her head. "I'm just thinking… if he _does_ like me, does he like me for who I am today? What'll happen if I regain my memories?"

Gintoki blinked his eyes upon that question. "Ah, that," he said, scratching his head. "Don't worry about that. I think there won't be much difference."

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is, the way he looks at you never change, Kagura," said Gintoki, picking his nose. "It's always been like that for a while. The only difference right now is that you can actually see it."

Gintoki looked away from his freshly-dug booger to take a glance at her. He didn't say it, but Kagura might've known Sougo's mixed signals for a while prior to her memory loss, but she was probably being too proud and became a tsundere about it. Even now, despite the obvious from her implied words and her blushing face, she still wouldn't say what she felt to Sougo out loud. Hell, if she was acting like a tsundere toward Gintoki and Shinpachi on that one Valentine's Day, then this shouldn't be any surprising. Not even a head injury could prevent the girl from showing her inner Kugimiya Rie.[1]

"Well… I don't know, but thanks for listening, I guess," she said finally, and then her eyes went wide as if she just remembered something. "I forgot to tell you, but I have a cake from Shohei-san in the refrigerator. You can eat it as my token of gratitude, Gin-chan."

"You're giving me a cake from a guy you rejected? You sure are a sadist, Kagura," he chuckled, but still went to kitchen nonetheless. Soon he returned with the white box on his hand. "Ah, hello, sugar content!" He waved at the cakes.

"Save one for Shinpachi!" she warned.

"Come on, Shinpachi doesn't like sweets. He only likes Otsuu," Gintoki said as he scooped up one big bite of the cake with spoon. " _Let's eaaat!_ "

 _DING, DONG_.

Before Gintoki could take a bite, the bell to Yorozuya rang.

* * *

It was already 12 AM. Sougo had been lying on the tatami floor for a few hours without moving, staring at the ceiling of his room.

He kept rewinding the scene that happened this evening in the living room of the Yorozuya apartment. How his heart felt like stopping when he felt her hand touching his hair, and when he somehow managed to gather some courage to grab her slender fingers. Then his heart that beat twice as fast when his hands moved on his own and returned the touch to her hair. Her cheeks as his fingers traced them, and the heat that rose from her skin, and how she moved closer to him that signaled him that maybe, just maybe… their feelings were mutual.

He felt like he was in trance in that short moment that felt like a lifetime. Even after a few hours had gone by then, he'd grasp his chest every once in a while because it was still pounding _too hard._ It pained him worse than the big bump on his forehead, but at the same time made him feel ecstatic.

But what if the girl woke up tomorrow and regain all of her memories? The next time he'd try to do what he did back then, she'd kick him on his balls. He sighed as he tried to close his eyes. He really was doomed.

Then a knock on his door broke him out of his reverie. He saw the shadows of two familiar figures on the screen of his shoji and sat up.

"What is it, Kondo-san?"

"Sougo, we have an emergency call," said Hijikata. "Zaki reported to us that the syndicate we're currently investigating seem to be targeting someone. They'll make their move soon."

He grabbed his katana and went to follow his superiors outside. As they went to the patrol car, the golden full moon in the clear night sky caught his attention. Then he smiled. He didn't care if she'd kick his crotch, he'd dodge it. He didn't care if one day her memories returned, he'd just do whatever it would take to make her return his feelings.

He only realized it for a while after the freak accident, but he had been doing pretty much the same thing for the past three years—dodging her kicks and getting her attention. He wouldn't mind waiting a little longer in that status quo.

"What is it, Sougo?" asked Kondo. "Excited about finally having a showdown after a peaceful patrol shifts, aren't you?"

"Yeah, Kondo-san," he replied. He then started the engine to the car, with Kondo driving shotgun and Hijikata at the backseat. "I'm feeling a little more determined than ever."

As the Shinsengumi patrol cars quietly left the Headquarters' premise, a long-haired figure appeared from the darkness.

"All units are on the move." the person said.

* * *

"Geez, I was just about to have a peaceful midnight snack while watching opera soap reruns," Gintoki grumbled, grabbing his bokuto on his desk. "It's already midnight, dammit! Can't you wait until tomorrow? We're already closed!"

"Yorozuya-san, please, open the door," a woman's voice was heard from the door. "We don't have anywhere else to go."

Gintoki approached to the door and slid it open to reveal a couple of middle aged man and woman, seemingly in distress.

"Oi, what's wrong?"

"Our daughter," tears were brimming on the woman's eyes, "she's been missing for almost a week. It seems like she's kidnapped by a crime syndicate."

It was enough for Gintoki to slide the door further. "Come in," he said, then he turned to Kagura and whispered, " _call Shinpachi_."

Kagura rushed to pull her cellphone. Unbeknownst to them, a shadow was peering on the roof of the Yorozuya building. The shadow held his radio transceiver. "As expected, they have visitors."

A voice was heard from the other end. "Good. Let's prune them all—both the lapdogs and the Odd Jobs."

* * *

[1] The voice actress of Kagura, who is also known as The Queen of Tsundere.

PHEWWW. What a complicated chapter. This took me three weeks to write, and I rewrote them for like... two times... three times... too many times. I've mentioned about it before but each chapter does get harder to write as the story advances so I'm sorry that the interval keeps getting longer!

I feel like I'm repeating sulking Sougo twice in this fic, but I just have to do it because I really love to explore his relationship with Hijikata (Shinsengumi trio is the best brotp in Gintama aside from Gintoki and Zura, sigh) AND at least in this chapter he quickly fixes his behavior. Also in this chapter a few progress happened to Sougo and Kagura's relationship, but not so much about her regaining memories. I hinted on Rokkaku Arc last chapter and FS Arc in this one but haven't explored much about it yet, don't worry-I'm saving the best for last :B

The two seem to find some kind of resolve, but the looming shadows are waiting for them... who are they? What does the syndicate and the Yorozuya client have to do with our favorite pairing? Will they say the L word? You'll find out soon!

As always, feedbacks are my favorite things!

Until next chapter!


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: Never Let Your Emotions Consume You**

* * *

Chapter summary :Showdown versus the enemies. Will they survive?

* * *

 _Midnight, Yorozuya Gin-chan_

Gintoki decided that the night would not going to be peaceful as he had planned. A few minutes after Kagura called Shinpachi and hastily explained the situation, he came hurriedly to the Yorozuya apartment.

"Our daughter," tears began to well on the woman's eyes. "Have been missing for almost a week."

Shinpachi and Gintoki looked at each other, uneasy.

"I'll go make some tea." said Kagura, walking to the kitchen.

"Please tell us from the beginning." said Shinpachi with a concerned look.

"My name is Ishino Juro, and this is my wife, Matsu," said the man, wiping the sweat on his temple with a silk handkerchief. "Our daughter, Chiyo, is 18. She went to the shopping mall near Kabuki-cho and was supposed to come home before 6 PM five days ago, but she didn't come home. We tried to locate her phone, but it was found inside the restroom of a café inside the mall. Only Chiyo's fingerprints were found." He showed a photograph of a fair-skinned girl with long blonde hair and dark green eyes, and a pink smartphone.

"Have you reported this to the police, Ishino-san?" queried Gintoki.

"We have!" cried Matsu. "But they didn't have much help! Well, they did, soon after they received our reports… but after a few days when we followed up, they were just sitting _there_ , on their chairs in their office, so I believe they didn't do anything to investigate this case! We pushed them but the answer was always the same… ' _we're trying our best right now, ma'am_ '… we are already desperate… so we hired a private investigator."

"And? Did the private investigator do his job better than the police?" asked Gintoki.

"Yes and no," she replied, half-sobbing. "He obtained same camera footage and information from the same witnesses like the police did, but he assumed that this is a carefully-planned kidnapping, that there is… a criminal syndicate behind this. He found out about several other girls that went missing around the same time, but he's met with dead-end afterwards." The husband showed more photographs of three other girls.

"Did someone call for ransom? Were there any suspicious witnesses?"

"The mall was packed that day, as it was the end of summer sale, so it was hard to determine," said Juro. "The only two persons who had seen her that day were the store clerk where she bought two kimonos, and a barista in the café where she ordered two iced coffees."

" _Two_ iced coffees?" repeated Gintoki. "Was she coming with a friend?"

"That's the most mysterious thing," Juro pulled out another packs of photo that seemed to be taken from the camera footage. "She didn't tell us who she was going with, but the footage shown he was with a man. The barista described the man as someone around Chiyo's age, wearing ponytail and glasses, and a black spade tattoo on the nape of his neck."

Gintoki hummed. "Are these store clerk and barista cleared from suspicion?"

"Yes. They both have perfect alibi."

"Then I'm afraid I shall suggest you to be patient, Sir and Madame," said Gintoki, his eyes didn't budge from the various photographs of Chiyo on the coffee table. "If the police doesn't seem to be working on this case, and if the private investigator's assumption was right… then I believe has been involved to a case inside Shinsengumi's jurisdiction."

"Are you serious, Gin-san?" asked Shinpachi nervously as Kagura approached the coffee table to serve tea to the clients before returning the tray to the kitchen.

"What else is the possibility?" Gintoki turned to the young man. "The reason why regular police force doesn't work on this is most likely because the case has been handed to a more superior power, and Shinsengumi is currently the highest ranked police force at this moment."

"Then why are they hiding it from us?" asked Juro, frustrated.

"Maybe because some Amanto is involved or whatever, I dunno." Gintoki shrugged.

"Listen, Yorozuya-san. I will pay you in any amount of money of your desire. Just please. Bring our Chiyo back," the man pleaded.

Gintoki stood up. "I will try my best to find information about her," he said. "But I can't guarantee you anything—at least for now. Now, I suggest you take your wife home to rest. We will keep you updated."

"Thank you, Yorozuya-san," said Matsu, sobbing heavily. "Good night."

As soon as the couple was gone, Gintoki grabbed his Lake Toya bokuto and put it on his belt. "I suggest you grab your weapon as well, Shinpachi," he said.

"Gin-san, where is Kagura-chan?"

They looked at each other before going to the kitchen and found the only window there was left open.

"Oh, no…"

"Shit," Gintoki said grimly, "this has gotten even worse than I expected."

* * *

 _At the same time, Shinsengumi patrol car_

"The crime syndicate that we're investigating is involved in various cases of women and children trafficking, along with illegal prostitution and drug-dealing," said Hijikata. He took a long drag of his cigarette, then he added, "The scariest thing about this syndicate is, they kidnap and sell these women and children to space, making it almost impossible to track the victims after they were sent away. The police force of Nara—where they were located before—have tried to purge them, but some always managed to escape and grow larger."

"How am I just hearing this, Hijikata-san?" asked Sougo, yawning as he took another turn on the patrol car. "Surely if they've been operating for a while, we should've known about this beforehand."

"Because they're not from Japan, originally," replied Hijikata grimly. "They are Amanto, who are recently expanding their business to western Japan nearly two months ago by borrowing a local yakuza's power and influence. Now that the police there have purged them, those bastards ran to Edo."

"We just recently learned that they are involved in several cases of missing persons for the past two weeks, all of them are women around 15 to 20 years old," explained Kondo, who was sitting at the backseat of the car. "One of the missing girls is the daughter of one of the wealthiest merchant in Edo, Ishino Juro." He pulled out a photograph of her.

"They didn't ask for ransom," Kondo continued. "Which is why we are aware that this case might be more dangerous than a kidnapping for money."

"Oh, it _is_ a kidnapping for money," Hijikata muttered. "Just not in an amount payable even from a wealthy merchant's pocket."

"So? What was the tip that we received, then?" asked Sougo.

"We have learned that one of the men is moving around Kabuki-cho. They are moving similarly—they took their victims to restaurant or café, then they drugged their food and drinks that with a weird Amanto-invented sedative that would initially cause something similar to laxative effect, then as the victims are lured to the restroom, they'll lose consciousness and that's where the second person came and kidnap them," explained Hijikata.

He took a long drag of his cigarette before he continued. "The boss is stealing the identity of some man who originated from the rural Kansai area, who is a nephew of a local businessman in Kabuki-cho. His real name is Nakamoto Shotaro. We learned about this upon seeing a footage of two men in the shopping mall; one of them is said to be in his late teens to early twenties, with a black spade tattoo on the nape of his neck."

Sougo violently hit the brake, making the car stopped abruptly. "What?"

"Oi, careful with that, bastard!" yelled Hijikata. "And why the hell are you stopping?! We're on a rush here!"

"Kondo-san, are there photos of the other missing girls?" Sougo ignored his superior and turned his head to the Shinsengumi Commander.

"U-uh, yeah, but why…," he pulled them from inside his jacket, and Sougo snatched them all impatiently.

"They're all the same," he muttered. Suddenly, his palms were sweating. Then he unlatched his safety belt and unlocked the door. "Sorry, Hijikata-san, I think you should drive this instead. Kondo-san, I'll call you later."

"Oi, Sougo! Where the hell do you think you're going?! Oi!"

"There's no time, Hijikata-san," Sougo opened the car door. "Someone else is in danger as we speak." Then he jumped outside and ran.

Kondo looked at the photos, scattered on the dashboard.

"Toshi, don't tell me…,"

"Goddammit, Sougo…," he muttered, then he quickly shifted to the driver's seat and stepped the pedal. "We don't have much time, either, Kondo-san. We'll send backups for him. As for now, the First Division will open the vanguard without him. Let's just finish this quick and we'll get back to that brat."

* * *

Sougo stopped running after fifteen minutes doing so in the dead of night, his breath was getting shorter in each step until he found a taxi and hailed it. "Kabuki-cho. Go at maximum speed and don't ask any questions." he said to the taxi driver, showing his police badge. The driver nodded nervously.

Suddenly, he wanted to slap himself in the face.

What was he doing? He pulled his cellphone. How could he not realizing them? He was too blinded by—ugh— _jealousy_ that he didn't even listen to the whole meeting, and overseeing the truth that was lying right under his nose.

Suddenly, Sougo didn't want to slack off on his job anymore.

 _Shit. Shit. Shit._

Women in Edo is in danger, he was well aware of that. But someone else's safety was his priority. _Her_ safety.

Sougo stopped in front of Yorozuya Gin-chan, handing bills to the driver without counting them. He ascended the stairs to Yorozuya Gin-chan, three steps at once. The light at the apartment was off. _Please be inside_. _I beg you_. _Please be okay_ , he muttered, his heart began to race.

Sougo realized that the door was locked. He rang the bell with no answer. He then kicked the door off the rails and frantically searched for someone, _anyone_ , to no avail. He saw something on the coffee table, to which he walked closer. Those were strawberry shortcakes. He took a sniff of the cake.

 _It was a weird Amanto-invented sedative that would initially cause something like a false laxative effect, then as the victims are lured to the restroom, they'll lose consciousness within five minutes and that's where the second person came and kidnap them_ , Hijikata's voice echoed in his ears.

He knew this cake too well, bought this too often for the girl to add some surprise bites of tabasco to it, to be unaware of any hint of unfamiliar scent that wasn't strawberry or vanilla or buttercream. He furiously swept the fusuma that led to the closet door where the girl was usually sleeping, and the fusuma to the tatami room, the bathroom, the kitchen—nobody was around.

It was as if they had left in a hurry. With his sweating palm, he pulled his cellphone and dialed the unknown number, the one he called this afternoon.

"Please pick up," he muttered. " _Please_."

" _Hello! This is Queen of Kabuki-cho. I am not available for the moment, so please leave me a message."_

"China, I'm at your house right now. Don't go home at this moment—your life is in danger," He said, panting. "If you got this message, please tell me that you're okay."

He flipped his phone close with too much force necessary. He left as fast as he arrived, and ran to one place he was certain he'd find answer. He gulped as he saw Ooedo Mart's lightbox came into his sight, then he took steps in.

But the person he wanted to see wasn't there. Instead, a man with ponytail stood before the cashier. Sougo walked straight to him, to which the clerk greeted politely. "Good evening, Sir. May I help you?"

"Where's that guy?"

"Who are you referring to, Sir?"

" _Shohei_. The one with auburn hair," he said impatiently, pulling his Shinsengumi badge from his jacket. "Where is he? Today is his shift, right? I need to talk to him."

The man paused for a moment, probably surprised. "A-ah, he's on the back. Wait, I'm going to call him…"

He turned to his back, showing his nape of his neck to Sougo. Sougo's eyes went wide, his mouth was agape.

It was a Black Spade tattoo.

In a speed of light, a scabbard met the back of the head of the cashier, knocking him out. Sougo pulled his katana as he quickly pivoted to his back; his weapon was shining under the bright light of the convenient market, its edge pointed to the crown of an auburn hair behind him.

Sougo sneered. " _Where is she,_ Shohei? No, wait—it's _Shotaro_ , isn't it?"

Shohei chuckled. "Okita-san, _no_ , Okita- _taichou_ ," he grinned. "You have been such a nuisance, you know? I already targeted her and told my higher-ups about her when I learned that she's closely related with the Shinsengumi, of all police force! I tried not to mess with you because you're _the_ Okita Sougo, but then you left me without choice."

Ten men appeared from their hiding from behind the aisles, but Sougo wasn't intimidated any bit with the fact that he was outnumbered.

"Answer me, bastard!" Sougo roared. "Tell me where she is!"

Shohei gripped his own katana and smiled challengingly as the two stood in stance, a black spade tattoo similar to the one on the cashier's neck was visible under his wrist. "She said we could be good friends," he recalled. "You think we will?"

"Sorry, but there are only three people in this world that I consider as friends, and I'm not looking forward to add more on my list," said Sougo, seething. "And especially, not you."

Shohei's henchmen advanced. Sougo deflected them all with minimum effort, and returned all the strikes with his katana. He slashed without mercy. It didn't take long until the squeaky clean convenient store was stained with blood.

"Tsk. Can't you go easy on them?"

"Like hell I will," Sougo gritted his teeth.

Not wasting his chance, Shohei advanced in a blink, managing to slice Sougo's left arm. However, the short proximity made Sougo able to throw Shohei to the ground, his katana pointed to Shohei's neck.

"I'm giving you one last chance before tearing you from limb to limb. _Where is Kagura?_ "

Sougo went aghast upon hearing them. "Oof, your movements are sloppy, Taichou," mocked Shohei. "News flash: _she's not here_."

That was the moment Sougo felt his consciousness went thin. He looked from his shoulder and saw the long-haired cashier, half-unconscious, with a syringe gun on his hand. He touched the nape of his neck, and that was when he felt a needle had been stuck on there. "You—motherfuck—"

"Save your insults for later," said Shohei when the Captain slumped to the ground. He got up and kicked Sougo's gut with a loud, painful voice to make sure not a drop of consciousness was left from him. "Huh. Now I know why personal interest should be off-limits in your line of work. Good job there, by the way, Satoshi."

"He's scary, Aniki." Satoshi grunted as he tried to get up. He had a bump on the back of his head given by Sougo's scabbard.

"He doesn't even feel the laxative effect of the sedative," Shohei hummed. "He's such a pain in the ass. I really thought I would be dead for real, considering that it took a while for the sedative to work." He lifted his foot and stomped on the back of the unconscious police officer.

"Aniki, may I ask you something?" Satoshi asked carefully. "Why are you so invested with the girl? I mean, we have plenty of pretty women all around Kabuki-cho… and not the ones who are closely related with the police… why this girl?"

"Someone on space saw her photo and bid her on a very high price," Shohei shrugged. "Can't blame them. She truly is beautiful, don't you think?"

The long-haired man nervously nodded. "T-then… what are we gonna do with this guy, Aniki?"

A box truck stopped in front of the store entrance, the driver giving signal to the two men inside the store.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm going to use him to lure the girl out." the man grinned as he dragged Sougo by his jacket out and threw him to the back of the truck.

* * *

 _At the same time, Downtown Edo_

"Yes, yes, Jimmy. I'm counting on you," said Gintoki on his cellphone while he rode his scooter with Shinpachi on his back. "You're a big help. Thanks a lot."

"Gin-san, what do you think is happening to Kagura-chan?" said Shinpachi as Gintoki put his cellphone away.

"Didn't you notice, Pattsuan?" said Gintoki. Then he showed him pictures from his cellphone—the five girls had pale skin, long hair, and light-colored eyes.

"Th—they…," Shinpachi's eyes widened upon his realization. "They have similar features to Kagura-chan!"

"She probably went to enemy's lair as a bait, thinking she's capable of taking them down on her own with that condition." Said Gintoki dryly.

"She knows the person behind all of this,"

"Yeah," unseen from the backseat where Shinpachi was sitting, his dead fish eyes were ablaze with fury. "The tattoo on his wrist. He tried to hide them when I asked him about it."

"Yes, I remember it," said Shinpachi.

"However, I don't think they're aware that Kagura is a Yato. If they do, they wouldn't dare selling a member of the strongest mercenary tribe to the space—the Yato _owns_ the space." He continued.

"So you called Yamazaki-san to ask about where their hideout is?"

"Yeah, with an exchange of Tama's handmade anpan," he shrugged. "Guy's easy to convince."

Then they abruptly stopped. Gintoki hit the brake quickly when two shadows jumped in front of his silver scooter, startling the two.

"Long time no see," said one of the hooded shadows. "I know you guys are in a hurry, but I think we gotta interfere."

"Y—you're—!" Shinpachi pointed at them with surprised look on his face.

* * *

Kagura jumped from one rooftop to the other with her umbrella on her shoulder. Earlier, when she made the walk to the kitchen to make tea, she overheard the conversation with the Ishinos. She knew something fishy was happening—and when she saw the victims, she was sure that she had to do something about it.

Black Spade tattoos were familiar, and she had seen two of them.

Soon, the building of Ooedo Mart was seen before her eyes. The place, however, was dark and deserted, the sign read _Closed_ despite the _24 Hours_ neon box. She took a breath before firing bullets with her umbrella-gun and made the automatic door shatter into pieces.

The sight in front of her shocked her. The glints of moonlight gave her a good look of blood that stained the floor. She walked further inside with her umbrella gun at ready, and when her boots met shards of glasses that made a crunching sound, she saw the presence of a familiar hilt of a katana.

Kagura had seen them too many times to be unaware of whose katana it was. She looked around and found the scabbard from behind the cashier. She pulled her cellphone that she snuck with her when she served the tea to the Ishinos before leaving, and was surprised to see so many notifications on her screen.

 _10 missed calls from Okita Sougo_

 _1 picture message from Okita Sougo_

She furrowed her eyebrows, her heartbeat started to rise. _Please tell me you're okay_ , she thought, before tapping the message icon.

 ** _If you want him alive, come to this location at once. Don't tell the police or Yorozuya or I'll kill him._**

A photo was attached to the message. She tapped on it—then the view made her gasp. Forget shocked—it was _terrifying_. Sougo was chained to the ground, beaten up and unconscious.

" _NO!"_ she yelled, dropping her cellphone to the floor.

Sougo felt a sting of pain on his ribs and his ankle when he was awake. He struggled before finding out that both of his hands were stretched out and chained on the wall, his feet were numb from the kneeling position.

"Rise and shine, taichou," Shohei waved his hand. He and Satoshi were sitting in front of him, with 10 or 15 weird-looking boar-like Amanto standing before the door of what seemed to be a deserted port warehouse.

Sougo gritted his teeth. "Why are you chaining me like this, shit-face? You want to sell me to those perverted aliens as well?"

"That's an interesting idea to consider, Okita-taichou, but no," replied Shohei. "I could've killed you on the spot, but I want to make good use of you first."

Shohei had just finished with his sentence when the ceilings shook before crumbling down together with something that fell with a loud noise similar to thunderclaps. Shohei let out a shocked expression; on the ground was Kagura, standing up. She was carrying Sougo's katana and her umbrella on her hand.

"China, why the fuck are you here?!"

"Shut up, Sadist. I'm trying to save your life here," she replied sharply. She turned to Shohei. "What are you waiting for? I did what you asked, now let him go."

"Sorry, but no weapons allowed," Shohei simply said. With a _tch_ , Kagura threw both of the umbrella and katana in front of Sougo's direction. Shohei gave signal to one of the boar Amanto, who approached her with a chain cuff. "Satoshi, give her the sedative." Shohei commanded.

"Sorry, Aniki, but the one we used to the police officer right here is the last one. The rest are in the convenient store…"

"Tch, whatever. Just chain her or something."

"No, you can't chain me unless you remove him first."

"What do you think you're doing, China?!" Sougo yelled, frustration was visible on his face.

"We made a deal," said Shohei, shrugging. "She'll go with our syndicate and get sold in the outer space in exchange of your worthless life."

"You stupid woman!" said Sougo. "I told you to run!"

"Sorry, Sadist," she smiled apologetically, making the pain in his abdomen even greater. Another guard approached him and unlocked his chain before trampling his face to the ground. Then Kagura offered both of her hands and let herself chained on his place.

"Owww," Sougo grunted. "I can't even stand, don't you have mercy?"

"He's already wounded, you ugly pig!" Kagura spat. "Don't hurt him anymore! Just remove him to a ditch somewhere!"

"On second thought, however," Shohei turned to both of them, ignoring Kagura's protests, "I think I have to kill you, too, Okita-taichou."

Kagura's face went red, then her blue orbs were sparkling with fury. " _Bastard!_ " she shook the chain on her hands, struggling to let go. "You lied to me!"

Sougo sighed. "See, China? I told you to listen, now you're falling right into his trap."

"Oh, shut your mouth!" Kagura yelled. "Look who's talking! If you weren't so stupid to go on your own to Ooedo Mart, we wouldn't be in this situation!"

"I swear to God, if you weren't so _weak_ and sissy like this, I wouldn't care for a second about you," said Sougo, even though both he and Kagura knew he was uttering a lie. He was still in kneeling position and his head was pinned to the ground by the boar Amanto's feet. "Oi, pig. Can you let my face go?"

"Seriously, this could be your last conversation and you decided to argue?" Shohei deadpanned as he unsheathed his katana. "This is why you shouldn't let your emotions consume you."

"Eh, arguing is our best forte." Sougo shrugged as the guards held his hand to his back.

"Whatever," Shohei shook his head.

 _CLINK_. A voice of falling chains was heard.

"A-Aniki!" Satoshi whimpered. "Look at her!" he pointed at Kagura, horrified.

Sougo turned to see Kagura was freed from the chains. She leapt to the guard who was pinning him on the ground and landed a kick on his face. The boar Amanto's body hit Satoshi on the process, then the two were sent to the corner of the warehouse.

"What—how—"

"Don't you know?" said Sougo with bored tone as slowly tried to get up. "She's a Yato, dude."

"A _what_?"

"And not just an ordinary Yato," she grinned. "I can shrink and enlarge my body at will, so nothing will be able to confine me."

"You're getting lazier with that ridiculous _qigong_ of yours, China," Sougo muttered. "You could've just use that brute strength of yours and break the chains." Sougo swept his unbroken leg onto bewildered Shohei's feet, sending him to the head first to the ground with a painful thud, leaving him unconscious.

"I can't just use my brute strength, okay?" she replied as she knocked more guards on the ground. "If I just pull my arms, the whole wall will be torn up. It's not convenient to beat up these people with a chunk of concrete wall attached on my body!"

"And you remember that lousy trick your brother taught you but nothing about me, I'm hurt."

Upon his remark, she paused for a split second before proceeding to throw the last guard to a stack of crates on another end of the warehouse, then she grabbed his hand and put it on her shoulder while she held his waist, helping him to stand.

Just when Kagura was about to take a step to escape, Sougo went still. "Oi, Sadist, move. You can save your whining for later."

But Sougo didn't answer. Kagura turned to him to see a horrifying sight from behind his back—a blade was pierced into him. He grunted in pain as blood started to stain his jacket before he collapsed, powerless. Behind the two was Shohei, pulling out his katana that impaled the Shinsengumi Captain.

"Never turn your back to your enemy." he grinned. "And don't move, or my men will attack you."

" _You bastaaard!_ " she shrieked.

The steel door of the warehouse kicked open, and 30 men—all in mohawks—entered the warehouse, each holding a katana.

"Take her," commanded Shohei to his men.

But Kagura was fuming with rage. Five men of the reinforcements walked to her and tried to grip both of her wrists while she struggled to approach Sougo. Her eyes were bloodshot from the fury and she felt her Yato blood was starting to take over her conscience. However, instead of fighting it, she remembered the words of wisdom her brother once told her in a very rare moment of his—to trust the blood of their mother that was flowing through her.

In a second, those who tried to handle her immediately failed in performing their task. They get slammed in many directions; she beat them up with her bare hands, with minimum effort.

"If you can't keep your words, Shohei, then you're not taking me anywhere," Kagura hissed, her hands clenched into fists. "And these _Hokuto no Ken_ knockoffs[1] can't make me."

She shifted her feet quickly to snitch her umbrella, but Shohei was closer to it than she was; he kicked it away from her.

Kagura took glance of Sougo's sheathed sword. "Tch. You think my umbrella is all I need to beat you up?" she scoffed.

In what seemed to be light speed, Kagura rolled to her left side and swiftly took Sougo's katana. She unsheathed it as she stood up, pointing it to Shohei and his men—this was the first time she ever held it, so why did it feel so familiar?

She moved to stand in front of unconscious Sougo, facing Shohei, who stood in front of his men. Shohei was taken aback for a moment, but he smiled. "You're not gonna win with a weapon you've never used."

"You really don't know anything about Yato, don't you?"

"You really are a difficult woman," Shohei sighed.

"That's what everyone told me," she smiled.

"Well, I don't care," he said, "and I don't want to know anything about _Yato_ or whatever your kin is called, but if you fight alone, you'll definitely lose, miss."

But Kagura raised her chin as a surge of memories began to fill her head and her mouth started to speak. "When you fight, it doesn't matter how many enemies you kill," she said. "If you fail to protect what you're meant to protect, you lose."

She stood on guard, unsheathing the scabbard. "I can't get back down or die here, sorry about that," she smirked. "I'll show you what happens when you threaten what I'm protecting. I won't allow any single of you to advance even one footstep past me, no matter what happens."

Kagura didn't know where how she could manage to utter those splendor words—it was as if her mouth spoke on her own.

 _Sadist,_ she thought to herself as she took one last quick glance to the unmoving man, _let me borrow this and your power._

The forefront line started to advance, all ten of them were struck down with a single blow from Sougo's katana and her immense strength. The blade was heavier than her umbrella, but it was nothing compared to the weight that was Sougo's life on her shoulder.

As memories from three years ago started to rewind, each swing of his sword on her hand brought ease to the pain that was throbbing her head everytime she tried to shake a branch of her memories called Okita Sougo.

 _"Some things in this world must be protected, even if it means getting your hands dirty."_

Now she knew why he said it at that time. He claimed himself to be a sadist, yet he refused to see a girl cry. He would act abrasive towards her, yet in the briefest time she had interacted with him after her memory loss; she learned that he, too, could show some kindness by saving her more than once.

Right now, as the Shohei's minions were startled by her ability, Kagura was determined to return the favor.

"Don't go back down!" Shohei yelled, his voice was firm but nervous sweat was seen on his face. "Keep attacking!"

More men advanced, but Kagura stayed true to her words; she didn't let any of them to take any step past her. She ambushed them all in every swing, until Shohei was the only man left standing.

 _"I refuse to be a burden to you."_

She could hear herself speaking, a voice full of pride; because there was no way she wanted to be saved by a rival of hers. Kagura scoffed upon the flashback.

"I'm not going to give you any mercy, Kagura," Shohei went on guard. "If I couldn't capture you and sell you—then I'm just going to kill you!"

He passed forward, and so did Kagura. Shohei raised his katana to meet with her bare left arm, to which she grunted from the pain elicited from it. She grinned despite her wound, her splitting skin that wasn't covered from her sleeveless _qipao_ didn't stop her from advancing.

She shifted her feet while forcing her weight forward, lifting the katana and quickly sent a slash to Shohei's left shoulder. Shohei wasn't an easy opponent, but each time he managed to send blows to her, Kagura would return the damage as well. Her Yato strength wasn't the only reason she was still standing without bothering her wounds—it was because she knew that soon, his human body that wasn't a match of hers would be at limit. Each failed attempt would drive him into frustration, and both knew each swings would send him closer to exhaustion.

"Huh, you're good," Shohei commented as he took more steps backwards. "If you're this good, why are you asking that police officer behind you to train you?"

"That's what I'm trying to find out," she replied. "But I think he was right, I've always carried the muscle memories within me all along."

She closed the proximity between the two, rushing at him. Shohei lifted his katana and marched to her direction as well. She swung Sougo's Kiku-Ichimonji RX-78 and so did Shohei with his; before the two blades met, however, a series of machine gun bullets went through to the space between their clashing swords.

 _"I refuse to be indebted to you."_

 _A man stood in front of her, telling her to run. Even when they've declared their hatred towards each other, there is no way one will let the other to die_.

Kagura backed away as she watched him dropping to his knees, vomiting blood from his mouth before slumping down face-first to the ground and stained the concrete floor.

Behind her was Sougo, panting, with her umbrella on his hand to deliver the killing blow. Kagura looked at him in surprise, his reddish brown eyes were flashing with murderous look.

 _You're always protecting me, are you, Sadist?_

"If you lunge at him like that, my katana will be split in two, idiot." he muttered to her. Both threw the two weapons back to their owners.

"How—how do you—"

"How do I cheat death?" he asked casually as if it was the most normal thing in the world. He pulled a tabasco bottle from inside his jacket. "I was just playing dead back then. He missed. I can't believe pulling this stunt would save me twice."

They heard a grunt, and both turned to Shohei.

"I—lost…," he grunted while the two of them walked to his direction. "S-so… this is why… I sh-should not underestimate Y—Yato…."

Shohei slowly raised his hand and tugged the end of her _qipao_ dress. "H-however, K-Kagura-s-san…," he whispered. "I-I genuinely th-think th-that… y-you're… beautiful. I-if only I was b-brave enough… t-to escape from t-the s-syndicate… I-I—would l-like to w-win you over... O-okita—t-taichou…."

He coughed up more blood, and he took his one last breath.

Sougo watched in silence, and so did Kagura. "I'm sorry, Shohei-san. But even so, I can't return your feelings." She whispered, sheathing the katana back to its scabbard. She then turned to him, who was barely able to stand.

He recalled the horrifying view in front of him a minute ago. Once she saw that the girl was battling Shohei by herself, he had been calculating again and again on his head about how he could jump in and help her without bringing danger to her life. Pain was throbbing in all over his body, but when he saw Shohei's katana slashing towards her, he forgot them all and snatched her umbrella and barged in.

He had one dark eye and he was bleeding on his forehead, but none of it mattered when he saw bloods dripping from her left arm, her left temple, and her right cheek, and her _qipao_ is tattered on her waist and hip.

"Huh, so he really is in love with you," he commented. "Seems like he has a twisted idea about loving someone, doesn't he?"

"That's rich, coming from you."

"Huh? What did you say?"

"Nothing," she said. "H-hey, are you okay?"

"I think I broke my ribs and my left ankle," he replied, gritting his teeth. "How about you?"

She brushed her wounded cheek without flinching. "My wounds are starting to heal."

Sougo hummed, then the two went into silence.

"Don't impulsively take matters into your hands and think that you can save the day by yourself like this anymore, you hear me?" He said. She then turned to him, looking annoyed, but paused when she saw anger in his eyes. He maintained his usual emotionless tone, but a small twitch on his facial expression made his distress visible that she pursed her lips and turned her face down.

"I hear you," she muttered. "I won't do it again, I'm sorry."

"You think 'sorry' is enough?" he snapped.

"Don't treat me like I'm a damsel in distress!" she fumed. "Who do you think I'm coming all by myself and wound myself like this for? And why are you hogging all the glory by giving the final attack like that?"

Sougo pulled her arm. Kagura yelped when his arms draped her tiny frame, hugging her tightly. She shivered when she felt his breath on her as he burrowed his face to her shoulder.

"Shut up, China."

"S-Sadist?" whispered Kagura. "Hey, you'll hurt your ribs if you're squeezing me like this."

"Don't care," he muttered, "This doesn't feel like anything, anyway." _Nothing when your life is in danger,_ he added in his mind, words that he'd rather cut his tongue than saying it out loud.

He didn't know what was possessing him, but he wanted to touch her more—he brought his hand up to her hair. She twitched a little by the contact, but went still nonetheless. He brushed her hair, and he lifted his face from her shoulder to plant a chaste kiss on the top of her head.

"Promise me you'll never do dangerous things without my knowledge anymore."

"Even if it's to save your life?"

"Yeah," he said, resting his chin on her tangerine head. "I told you before, I don't want to be indebted to you. Every time you try to save me, I will return the favor immediately."

"Why can't we protect each other?" she softly mumbled. "What if I want to protect you too?"

Unable to register her innocent words, Sougo didn't reply. His heart was suddenly pounding really, really fast. As if wanting him to calm down, he felt slender arms raising to return his embrace slowly and carefully. Her arms on his back were small, but warm enough. He squeezed her even tighter, completely ignoring the protests from his broken bones.

She buried her face into his chest. "Hey, Sadist, why does your heart suddenly goes _doki-doki_?"

"Oh, shut up." He muttered. He was certain his face and ears were flushing in shades of red, and she did what he asked for a moment, before she briefly pulled away so she could look at him in the eyes.

"I'm sorry I went on my own," she muttered. "But knowing Gin-chan and Shinpachi, they're probably ambushing the men on the front line right now, not having a single idea that the Final Boss has been defeated."

Sougo snickered, finally letting go of her. "Yeah. Maybe they've bumped with Shinsengumi as well," he said.

The girl hummed in reply.

"By the way, China. Did you just copying my words and fighting style?"

"I dunno," she shrugged. "But if felt relieving, like it's a natural thing."

"It's a lame move to imitate me, you know," he teased. "But… does that mean you've remembered everything?"

Kagura didn't immediately respond, and seeing her expression, Sougo knew she hadn't. "Well, it doesn't matter," he said, "as long as everything is fine." _As long as you're fine_.

"I guess that'll do," she muttered. "But after our wounds are healed, I want you to train me again."

"Do you even need training anymore? You already have them etched on your head, dummy," he chuckled. "But, you know, if you want to train just so you can spend time with me, you can just say so."

"Who said I want to spend time with you?" she said, sticking her tongue out, but her blushing face was saying otherwise.

"Yeah, yeah, you tsundere." He laughed.

"You're a tsundere too!" she pouted. Then, as if she had just remembered something, her eyes suddenly went wide. "Oh, by the way, did the Shinsengumi find where the other kidnapped girls are?"

As if to answer her question, headlights from black and white patrol cars with a sign that reads _Shinsengumi_ projected the two in blinding white light from the warehouse entrance. Kagura opened her umbrella, her eyes squinted.

Men in gold-trimmed black uniform barged in, with Hijikata and Kondo at the forefront. A bazooka replaced cigarette on Hijikata's hand.

"Yo, Sougo," greeted Hijikata. "If you escape like that again, you'll have to commit seppuku, you hear me?"

Sougo scoffed. "Oi, _Hijibaka_ , instead of seppuku, I deserve a raise. I was the one who give the Final Boss a finishing blow," he said. "Also, can you turn those headlights off? I'm a little dizzy from being trampled over by those stinking Amanto."

"Sorry, but he's not the Final Boss, Sougo," said Hijikata.

Kondo gave a signal to his subordinates and they simultaneously turned off the lights. "We got an information that all the victims and the Amanto higher-ups are inside an aircraft, but we couldn't find the ship in our radar. We've prepared our own aircraft to pursue them in space, though."

"Oh, you wouldn't find it, Kondo-san. We've sunk it."

A familiar voice that was belonged to a human-wearing glasses was heard from behind Hijikata and Kondo. The two turned to their backs to see two figures climbing on top of one of the patrol cars—a pair of dead fish eyes and a glasses stood with bokuto on their shoulders.

"Took you long enough, Yorozuya." Said Kondo, glancing from his shoulder.

"Gin-chan! Shinpachi!" Kagura gasped.

"Kagura, I swear to God, I'm going to ground you for the rest of your life if you're running away like that again," Gintoki threatened. "And I'm not going to allow you to go with random guys anymore. Do you know that dead guy right there is a fake? Oh my God, from now on Gin-san will have to do background check of your friends."

"Danna, how do you know about their location?"

"I thought you were with the Shinsengumi, Gin-chan!"

"Ah, yes. We're planning on doing so, but something happened midway," said Gintoki, jumping off the patrol car, followed by Shinpachi. "So while these Tax-Robbers cleared up the human minions, the four of us snuck to an unguarded airship that was just about to escape to space."

"Who are you calling Tax-Robbers, idiot permhead?!" retorted Hijikata.

"Wait, 'four of us'?" she repeated. "Who are the other two?"

A severed limb fell from the punctured ceilings where Kagura came in. Kagura saw the limb that seemed to be belonged to an Amanto in horror. A second later, a bunch of dead bodies of Amanto fell into the ground. Kagura shrieked, terrified.

A man in cape crashed from the already damaged ceilings, leaving a large crate on the concrete floor as he landed. Kagura parted his lips when the man pulled the cape off his head, showing a braided vermilion hair similar to hers, and a trademark smile of his.

"Yo, long time no see, dear baby sister!" Kamui waved his hand even though his face was bruised, with Abuto squeezing in through the equally bewildered Shinsengumi members, looking at his Admiral with an expression that said " _someone please kill this stupid person for me"._

"Kamui?! _Ossan?!_ " she shrieked. "Wh—what are the two of you doing here?"

"Are the Harusame the ones who control this syndicate?" asked Sougo warily.

"Chill out, Earth Police," said Kamui. "I was just thinking of visiting and I met the Earth family of your girlfriend on the way—"

"Who are you calling girlfriend?!" Kagura retorted.

"To answer your question, Mr. Policeman, no," Abuto chimed in. "This has nothing to do with the 7th Division. It's only the two of us, and the other victims who are inside the ship are safe and sound right now."

* * *

 _An hour earlier_

"Long time no see," said one of the hooded shadows. "I know you guys are in a hurry, but I think we gotta interfere first."

"Y—you're—Kamui-san and Abuto-san!" Shinpachi pointed at them with surprised look on his face.

"Look, I'm shocked, but I don't have time to react," said Gintoki. "Your sister is missing."

"We've been observing your house for a while, so we know," said Abuto impatiently. "Even more reason for you to listen to us."

Both samurai's eyes went wide. "What's going on here?" Gintoki asked carefully.

"This Black Spade syndicate you're dealing with isn't as big as Harusame, but they're still a pain in the ass," Kamui explained. "A while ago, the baldy was called on a mission. A small planet was being ransacked by a certain gang of thugs, and he went to shoo them out. Turns out, they're tied to Black Spade, and that's when he found out about this." He threw something to Gintoki, which he caught.

"What is this? A gravure idol magazine[2]?"

"No, it's a catalogue on women trafficking."

" _What?!_ "

"Kagura is in there," said Kamui. "And he thought you guys are selling her to pay your debt."

"We know we're poor, but we're not that cruel to sell her out!" Shinpachi protested.

"…so he sent me here while he took the highest bid for her."

" _So Umibouzu was the one who tried to buy Kaguraaa?!_ " yelled Gintoki.

"No, no, listen," Kamui shook his head, " _That_ was his first thought. I disagreed with him; I thought it's impossible for her to be willing to be sold like that unless something was happening. Then the baldy said she might be sent by the government of this country of yours to infiltrate the syndicate or whatever. He tries to _buy_ her to prevent anyone else from doing so."

"This is surprising, Kamui. You can be a little perceptive at times," said Gintoki, blinking his eyes on his ongoing attempt in processing the information to his head.

"Only for his sister." Abuto deadpanned.

"Sheesh, Abuto, don't make me sound like I actually care about this crybaby. I'll kill you for saying nonsense, you know." said Kamui.

"But I'm so touched, Kamui," said Gintoki, picking his nose. "So you're a pirate-turned-vigilante now?"

The Harusame General scoffed. "Things are just getting too peaceful in space and I want to beat someone up."

"No, he literally threatened to wipe out all divisions of Harusame when they refused their General to go by himself, saying that no one could meddle with his personal interest." Abuto whispered to Gintoki and Shinpachi.

"What are you whispering to them, Abuto? You want me to kill you?" Kamui, still smiling as he cracked his fingers and walked closer to them.

"A-ah, it's nothing, Boss. We must hurry up, don't you think?"

* * *

"Look at us, defeating a bunch of space criminals with the help of even worse space criminals," Hijikata remarked after listening to Abuto's brief explanation. "How ironic."

"That's because you guys are incompetent." Said Gintoki.

A vein popped on the Vice Commander's face, but he didn't bother to throw some retort. He turned to his subordinates. "Evacuate the victims at once. Call for more paramedics to check if they're okay."

"Even though we're space criminals, Mr. Policeman, Earth is off-limits to Harusame's actions as per this brat's request," Kamui added while he walked to Kagura, who was still visibly bewildered by the fact that is his brother's presence on Earth. "Yo, Kagura. What's with your expression?" he asked, his head tilting to the side.

"Nothing, I'm just surprised you're here."

Kamui pouted. "What? Am I not allowed to save you? Am I really that bad of a brother, huh?" he asked.

"That's not what I meant," she quickly said. "I was saying that I don't expect that you can actually listen to Papi and work with strategies."

"Huh, I guess you guys were right about her losing her memories," said Kamui, who looked at her with fascination before pointing his umbrella gun to Gintoki's face. "Usually, Kagura would just yell on my ears about me being a stupid brother and the likes, now she's complimenting me in a roundabout way. What did you guys do to her?"

"What's wrong with your head? Who's _complimenting_ you?!" she retorted, completely confused with her brother's conclusion.

"If you need someone to blame, then blame him," Gintoki lazily pointed to Sougo.

"Oooh, another reason to kill you then, Mr. Policeman," sang Kamui cheerfully.

Sougo smirked. "Heh, I'm already dying to save your ugly sister, you siscon… dip… shit." he replied weakly.

Now that he was no longer draped in Kagura's arms, the pain and exhaustion on all over his body was back to claim him. Then with one step backwards, he swayed before he felt two hands— _hers,_ she probably caught glance of him losing color from his face—and she caught him and lowered him to the ground.

She crouched beside him, calling his name. Her captivating blue eyes were the last thing he saw before giving in. He tried to reach out his hand to touch her face as a way to tell her that everything would be okay.

 _"What if I want to protect you too?"_ her voice echoed in his ears.

Sougo then closed his eyes to oblivion.

* * *

[1] Also known as Fist of the North Star, which is parodied several times in Gintama.

[2] Basically men's magazines, with girls known as gravure idol who often poses provocatively on the cover.

* * *

A/N:

First of all, thank you thank you for all the kind reviews!3

WOOT! I heard that you guys like the Dadtoki, so I present protective big brother Kamui to you. As for the sword fight in this chapter, I had to borrow terms from several sources, mainly from Star Wars: The Last Jedi novel, lol. Also, thanks a lot to the folks at r/FanFiction on Reddit for generously providing me with tips on describing sword fight and making it less hard than I thought it would be!

This fic has totally shifted from fluff Okikagu to a whole Gintama arc. I'm sorry if this chapter is a mess plot-wise and Kagura-wise (her OOCness has become very difficult for me to write), I've tried my best here lmao.

Lastly: I can't believe that there is only one chapter to go! It's already in the making as I'm posting this. Will Sougo survive? And how will Kagura regain her last bits of forgotten memories? Find out on Chapter 8!

See you later3


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Once You've Met Someone, You Never Really Forget Them**

* * *

 **Chapter Summary:**

...it just takes a while for your memories to return.

Sougo was faced with choice. Kagura finally found what she had lost.

* * *

The door to the hall of Great Edo Hospital was pushed open, with Shinsengumi First Division members hastily followed behind. Being wheeled in on the bed was their captain, the white sheet that covered his body had turned into dark red.

"He's critical, sensei!" said one of the nurses before she closed the door to Operating Room, separating Sougo from the rest of them. "He's hemorrhaging too much!"

Hijikata sighed. As much as he saw Sougo as a pain in the ass, he was still one of his subordinates. Any fatality would be his failure as a Vice Commander.

He had stalled Kondo from coming to the hospital, because by the moment Sougo collapsed, he knew this would escalate into something really serious, and he didn't have the heart to share the failure he was feeling to him as well.

"Kondo-san, I think you'll be needed in to supervise the transfer of the evacuated victims back to their guardians," said Hijikata an hour ago before he went to the hospital. "Pretty sure it won't take long. Then you can come here."

As much as he wanted to delegate someone else for the task, Kondo reluctantly agreed anyway.

Everyone was restless in that hallway: Hijikata was impatiently tapping his foot, and the First Division members were anxiously huddled together. They were used to see so much wounds on his body and bloodbath was anything but new, but seeing Sougo in his unconscious form was enough to make them anxious.

However, the award for the most fear-stricken person had to be the China girl. Kagura crouched near the wall, hugging her knees. She was surrounded by her family—her Earth-family and her real brother—and none of them had any single idea on how to comfort her. Clearly, she needed treatment herself for her wounds, but she ignored her own injuries.

Stubborn man and stubborn woman were a match made in heaven, Hijikata mused.

The clock was ticking, and for everyone in the hospital hall, minutes felt like an eternity.

" _Taichou_!" his subordinates were flocking in front of the viewing window.

Visible on everyone's view was the monitor of the electrocardiogram. At first, there were irregularities. A second later, an asystole;

A straight line.

Out of a sudden, there were so many voices around the hall despite it being 3 in the morning. The muffled sound that the medical staffs made on the room across him—one of them had defibrillator on his hand—the girl, who banged on the locked door, begging anyone who would allow her to come in. The glasses-wearing young man, who tried to calm her down. The silver-permed samurai, who tried to pull her away from the door before she could use her humanoid strength to break it down. Her brother, who grabbed her away without any effort, and in return, letting himself be punched all around with her fists. His subordinates, who had started calling his name. Kondo, managed to make it in the worst time, rushing into the hallway with questions mixed with disbelief on his face.

Kagura stood frozen.

Across the viewing window that separated Sougo with everyone else, he had stopped breathing.

* * *

Sougo felt a soft gust of wind nudging his face, so he opened his eyes. He found himself lying on a tatami inside a house. The shoji was left open, letting him to see a wind chime that was jingling on the overhang, and at the corner of his eyes, Sougo could see a maple tree on the lawn.

He slowly got up when he heard footsteps approaching, and he knew whose footsteps those were.

In his childhood home, in a village somewhere in Bushuu, there had been only two pairs of feet walking around for some time. He hadn't been there for quite some time, but he knew each corner of this place by heart—he didn't have to think twice of where he could had been.

Mitsuba came into the room, wearing her pink kimono. She was carrying a tray with tea and spicy senbei on it, and as she put the tray down on the table, she smiled upon seeing him.

"Hello, Sou-chan," she greeted, in a voice and gesture that he hadn't seen for so, so long. "Did you have a good sleep?"

He went agape.

"Ane-ue?"

"Here, drink your tea," she offered the pottery glass to him. She quietly opened the spicy crackers and began munching happily.

Sougo sat and took a sip. He could feel the wind, he could smell the strong chili pepper from her senbei, and the tea tasted like the ones Mitsuba would brew—which could only mean one thing: that this was a very realistic dream, or he was already dead, and this was the afterlife.

He closed his eyes as he tried to remember the events of this night. The last thing he knew, he was standing on the warehouse when the pain began to take him over. He felt himself losing consciousness, and before everything went dark, he heard her voice.

 _Her._ Kagura.

"I wonder what she'd say if I die like this," he muttered.

"Eh? Who?" asked his sister.

"A-ah, nobody, Ane-ue." Sougo sipped his tea again. "So… are you taking me with you?"

Mitsuba looked at him with a pair of eyes similar of his, and they looked somehow melancholic. "Do you want me to?"

"I…," he clutched his glass, "don't know,"

"If you get to choose whether you could stay or go, what will you choose?"

He felt a sudden surge of cold flash. He looked at Mitsuba, who was smiling like always. If he went with her, they'd never be separated again.

But how about her? Pretty sure she wouldn't be pleased with him dying this way. What would she do?

And just like that, he had found his answer. Not having enough time wasn't the only reason why he didn't visit his childhood home as much as he used to.

It was because he had found another home—and he could find it everywhere in Edo:

In the Shinsengumi Headquarters with all of its members, where he'd terrorize Hijikata-san with his dangerous pranks until Kondo-san would ask them to stop, treat Zaki as his errand boy, and spar with Shimaru-niisan;

In a cabaret club, where he'd drag drunk Kondo-san home;

In a park bench, where he'd doze off with his sleep mask;

In second floor of a red-colored building in a city called Kabuki-cho, where three idiots work and live, with one Amanto girl being one of them; a gluttonous, monstrous, uncute and unladylike Amanto girl that somehow managed to make his heart grew three times bigger everytime he saw her smile and the beaming light from her blue eyes.

And it was because of her that he found himself not wanting to go before he could tell her that he wanted to belong somewhere in her heart, that she could be the best home he had ever found, that a place alongside her had been the only place he'd ever wanted to return to.

He didn't know if she'd get lonely from him leaving her, but he was resolved to find the answer. This time, he wouldn't let another chance slip away.

"I think...," he began.

Mitsuba kept smiling, and it hurt him.

"I don't want to go yet, Ane-ue," Sougo said finally, exhaling. "I'm sorry."

"Why?" she asked, and his stomach was churning from guilt.

"There is someone I really want to protect," he explained, and he felt himself blushing from talking about a girl to his sister. "She's an idiot, she's hopeless without me, and…," he turned his head down. "I haven't told her how much she meant for me."

"Is that so?" Mitsuba giggled. Sougo turned down, not able to withstand his embarrassment, but Mitsuba reached her hand and patted his head.

"Don't look at me like that, Ane-ue…," he said weakly. "I think I'm gonna die from embarrassment."

"You're overreacting," said Mitsuba. "But you really are my little brother, after all. I'm glad you found someone you can cherish."

Sougo lifted his head up and hugged her. "I'm so sorry, Ane-ue, I really want to be with you…," he hugged her tighter. "Just not yet. Not yet."

"Shh, Sou-chan," her sister stroked his hair. "Don't be sorry. I'm always by your side, in every step you take, you know?"

"Ane-ue—"

"We will always be together," she said, interrupting him. "And besides, I don't want you to go yet."

Her words surprised him. He pulled away from the hug, staring at her with a puzzled look. "What do you mean?"

"Sou-chan," her expression turned serious. "Kagura-chan's tears won't stop streaming until you wipe them."

"Wait—you know about her?"

"Of course," she giggled again. "I was just testing you, you know?"

" _What_?"

Mitsuba cupped his cheek endearingly. "Sou-chan, be happy."

"Ane-ue…?" he looked at her, and suddenly he was tasting iron on his tongue. "But, Ane-ue, it's not fair that I get to be happy… and…,"

"And I don't?" she smiled, pulling away. She took his hand with her delicate fingers and lightly squeezed it. "I told you, didn't I? Seeing you grow up to be a strong person, seeing the man that you've become, and seeing what _all of you_ have become, those are enough to make me really, really happy."

Mitsuba might say "all of you", but the emphasis and a slight look of longing on her demure expression were enough for him to understand who she was actually referring to.

"Don't worry about me. I'm not going to be lonely," she assured him. "So go get your happiness, and when you do, don't ever let it go."

She got up, and a soft light surrounded her as she started to fade away.

"Do it for me, will you, Sou-chan?"

* * *

Sougo blinked, and white ceilings came into view.

His whole chest was bandaged, and connected to the peripheral vein of his left hand was an IV tube. Around him was pristine walls of hospital room, and next to him, a vermilion head was burrowed on the side of his bed. Kagura was sitting next to him, sleeping.

"China?"

The one replying his call, however, was another vermilion head. Sougo turned—and slightly surprised—to see Kamui, standing at the door.

"I see that you're still alive," he said cheerfully.

Sougo squinted his eyes, making sure he wasn't dreaming.

"Yeah, sorry to disappoint you," he replied, and his throat felt so dry. Must have been a while since he had been unconscious. "Why are you here?"

"Looking after this crybaby," Kamui scowled, pointing at Kagura. "Don't worry, I'm not here to stay. In fact, I'll be leaving soon. Hospitals sure remind me of bad memories from the past."

 _Me too,_ Sougo mentally agreed. Kamui walked to his sister and picked the back of her outfit with one hand like picking up a kitten. He dropped her in the vacant bed next to him, then he advanced to grab a banana laying on the bedside table. If Sougo were anyone else, the harsh treatment Kamui made would make him grimace. But he knew that there was nothing civil about the siblings, and besides, nothing would wake Kagura up at this point, as further evidenced by her snores.

It was only then that Sougo could take a good look at her. Her ripped dress had changed into a two-piece hospital outfit, covered with bunny-patterned haori she'd often wear at home. A bandage was patched to her face, hiding the bruise that Sougo was certain was already healed.

Still, he mused, that didn't mean it would hurt any less.

"You disappoint me, Mr. Policeman. I thought you were strong enough, but to think that a mere fractured ribs were enough to make you collapse like that, then I suppose you're less than I gave you credit for," Kamui munched his banana.

"Well, unlike you two half-Altana-born Yato shitheads, I'm just a mere mortal," Sougo sneered. "I've got more brains than you, at least."

"That's rich, coming from someone who came to the enemy's den by himself," Kamui lifted his eyebrow.

"So did your sister."

"I think it's been established that she's not any smarter than me," Kamui shrugged. "But no, you really are the biggest idiot in this room."

Sougo _tch-_ ed. "What are you trying to say, _baka-aniki_?"

"How do I put it?" Kamui pretended to think hard. "Long story short, you weren't breathing for a while."

"I was _what_?"

"You were dead," clarified Kamui, like it was the most mundane thing he'd ever heard. "It was just for half a minute tops, but it sure made everyone lose their shit. Afterwards, she refused to lie down even when the doctors have established that you're perfectly stable, though I'm pretty sure sleep took her not long ago."

That surprised him. He looked at Kagura, who was still sleeping soundly. So she was worried. And there he was, taking her words and her resolve to protect him by granted. He felt a twitch inside his guts, and when he gulped, he tasted a bitterness of guilt surging in his mouth.

But an "Oh?" was the only thing he could utter as a reply.

Kamui threw the banana peel and turned away. "I don't like how she looked back then."

Sougo turned to Kamui, his cheerful expression was gone.

"Don't let her make a sad face again, Mr. Policeman," the blue-eyed man continued. "If you do that again, I won't give a fuck whether you're injured or not. I'll gladly turn into a villain once again to kill you for real."

"I…," he croaked. "I will try not to."

"Good." said Kamui as he walked to the door.

Sougo cleared his throat. "Y'know, Mr. Criminal, I can't help but wonder why you are playing a good brother card right now," Sougo sneered. "Is your siscon this severe?"

Kamui stopped by the door and took a glance of Sougo. Despite the smile on his face, he stared dagger at him. "Go ask yourself. Aren't you going to become a villain himself if someone were to hurt her?"

At that question, Sougo was again losing his ability to deliver his retort.

* * *

Kagura was dreaming about being blanketed under warm bowl of rice when she felt something nudging her arm. She opened her eyes and blearily saw Sougo. He was sitting up on his bed, his eyes were opened, and most importantly, he was alive.

"You're munching and mumbling in your sleep," he said, in his usual careless fashion. "Are you having a good dream?"

She jolted up. "You've… gained consciousness."

"Yeah, last night," he said, averting her gaze as he scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Danna and the others are leaving for a moment to take some rest, so he asked me to wake you up in case you're still sleeping around this hour."

Upon seeing that Kagura was unresponsive, Sougo added, "And your brother and that _Ojisan_ left Earth last night,"

Finally alarmed with her silence, he turned up. "China, what's wrong?"

"Y-you're not a ghost?" she asked, stuttering.

"Eh?" Sougo widened his eyes.

"Is this really you?" she asked again.

"Yeah, of course it's me," he put his feet down on the floor and pointed at the shadow. "See? Not a ghost, China. You can breathe easy now."

Kagura felt warmth pooling her chest. She closed her mouth with her hands, shaking. She mentally cursed herself for being defeated by exhaustion, and not properly watching him like she promised herself to.

Sougo wasn't breathing for seconds that felt like forever. And at that time, there was nothing she could do. She found herself paralyzed in shock, and it sent her back into a time in another rainy day in her home planet, on the day when her mother passed away.

She had enough of people dying because of her—now that she had known that Mami died for the sake of being united with her family, which included her, she didn't want Sougo to die protecting her.

And now she was _furious_. What was he thinking for doing such things for her?!

So Kagura broke down. Her tears were bursting as she was crying out loud, like a small child in tantrum, venting her relief, anger and exhaustion at the same time to a man in front of her.

"O-oi, China?" said Sougo, seemingly taken aback by her sudden barrage of emotions. Despite his lack of comforting skill, he hurriedly approached her, awkwardly holding her with one arm. He let her burrow her face on his chest as she clutch the front of his hospital shirt tightly, her tears and snot combined into one and wetting it. If only he wasn't wounded, she _really_ wanted to punch him.

"Stupid Sadist," she said in-between her sobs. "Y-you're critical last night and we thought we've lost you and you're waking me up with that face and that voice like nothing happened?"

"Hey," he hushed. "I'm still here, aren't I?"

Kagura didn't reply, still crying with a voice that hurt even herself, still tugging at his shirt.

"Stupid," she sobbed. "How dare you telling me to ' _breathe easy'!_ You're the one who have forgotten how to _breathe_ last night, you know?! Idiot!"

He pulled away from the hug and took both of her hands, staring at her intently. It wasn't like the one when he was only lightly touching her fingers in the Yorozuya apartment last night. This time, he was holding them with a tight grip.

"Look, China, I'm so sorry."

Kagura stared at her small hands which was being enclosed on his bigger ones, like he didn't want to let go.

And those grips, she found them so disturbingly familiar.

* * *

In a land that seemed to belong in a dream, she began to wander to a place where she found herself standing in a beautiful place, where various kind of trees surrounded her. They were all glowing brightly, in various colors of many seasons, except for one. As she walked further, she caught glance of one dead tree, looking misplaced as it stood in the center. She approached it, and she lifted her hand to stroke the blackened trunk, running her fingers through the texture of the crevices.

"What happened to you?" she asked.

But of course, trees wouldn't talk back.

The ground beneath her feet began to shake, but instead of letting go, she held the dead tree in her arms. She closed her eyes when she felt the tree was enveloping her in return. Trees weren't supposed to animate, but in her mind, this one did. And somehow, it felt familiar, like she had been embraced this way a few times.

So she opened her eyes and saw that slowly, the branches started spread out wildly and maple leaves began to grow, as if her touch made it alive again. It was red, with a shade of orange.

In front of her, the tree had turned into a man. In this place, his face was no longer shrouded in shadows; she could see him clearly—his soft, childlike features in every part on his face except for his eyes, with a daring gaze from the orbs that resembled ruby. When he called her name his voice was no longer muffled, like she finally found the correct radio frequency.

She remembered his hand. She remembered how she yelled on top of her lungs, telling him to let go of her because she might be able to survive the fall and he wouldn't.

But he didn't let go of her. Never.

She remembered their first battle. Under the blooming cherry blossom trees, a beginning of a rivalry that would soon grow into respect, friendship, and later, perhaps more.

She remembered their way of saying goodbye. Under the rain, they promised each other to return stronger and undefeated, implying that they both wanted to see each other again and that it was never going to be a real farewell, and that there was no way any of them could be ended except by each other.

She remembered coming back to Edo after years of wandering. He was the one who tracked her down, picked her up, called out on her lies for the second time.

She remembered all the broken bones, bruises, insults, curses. All the flashbacks that were no longer nauseating to her.

She remembered all of her battles, from the silliest ones she shared with him to the ones in order to save the universe.

Sougo, along with who she really was, filled one of the largest spots in a vast forest of her mind called memories, because a single tree was too cramped, too small, to describe everything and everyone she had encountered in her life.

* * *

"China?" Sougo called Kagura, looking at her suddenly empty eyes. A second later, as if she was just transported herself back from a trance to their muted hospital room, she lifted her head up to look at him. He stared at her, a subtlest twitch between his eyebrows showing his concern.

"Sorry. I… I was wandering for a moment," she said, sniffing. She looked at her hand, still clutched on his.

"Another flashback?" he asked.

"Yeah," she nodded, and lifted both of their hands. "I remember this."

He stared at them blankly. "Remember _what_?"

"I remember this, _uh-huh_ ," she repeated.

In his surprise, Sougo let her hands go. He widened his eyes, looking at her in disbelief. "China, can you repeat that once more?"

"What, uh-huh? I said I remember this."

"You're speaking with accent," he said, cupping her cheeks. "Are you—are you—"

"Yes, because I remember _everything_ ," she laughed exhaustedly, mixed with sobs. "Including you, uh-huh. Your stupid face, and our unfinished battle—you're going to pay once you're discharged, Sadist, so you better get well really soon—"

He felt warmth pooling his chest, his stomach, _everywhere_.

"—and I'm done having people that I love dying in front of me, so don't you dare doing that again because you're mine to beat up—"

It wasn't just butterflies fluttering in his guts, it was the whole fucking zoo.

"You love me?" he asked carefully.

"I—I never said that!"

She could deny it all she want, but the damage had been done. Sougo, a little too elated from her subtle confession, pulled her again. This time, however, he didn't go for another embrace. He went for her pink lips and kissed her.

As their lips were touching, he began wondering why he hadn't done this before—this was something that had been long overdue. She went frozen by the sudden movement, and Sougo was a little wary that he'd be dead in the next second.

But then, to his relief, she shut her eyes as she threw her arms on his shoulder, and so he caressed her. The way she inclined her head to deepen the kiss was enough of an affirmation of her words and he was certain that she knew this was his way to say how he felt the same, because it had been established that they had exchanged weapons more than words, and in this battle, the kiss were the swords that connected the feelings of two, inside the bland hospital room, all too white and too pristine, everything smelled like disinfectant and they had bruises all around their bodies.

As they began longing for oxygen, he reluctantly pulled away.

"I have had enough of losing people that I love, too." He said, chuckling weakly at his inability to just say _the words_ like normal people.

Her blue eyes stared at him blankly, and so he snorted.

"Oi, what's so funny?!" she protested.

Kagura seemed confused at first, but soon, she joined in to laugh too. A small giggle at first, then it turned into two loud laughter. Then she cried again, from exhaustion, relief and happiness combined into one.

When they finally able to stop, Sougo stroked her cheek, wiping away the stain of her tears with his thumb.

"I'm sorry I made you cry," he said. "I'll try my best not to let you spill it again for me."

"You better be." she replied.

"Now, China. What do you say when you're coming home?" he cupped her cheeks, smiling.

She smiled back at him. "I'm home."

"Welcome home," he replied, "China girl."

* * *

"So, in the end, no one wins the challenge, uh-huh." Said Kagura.

It was a week after Sougo was discharged, and they were laying on the riverbank. Kagura was snacking on her sukonbu, and Sougo was dozing off with his trademark sleep mask. He was supposed to stay longer, but everyone knew how much he hated hospital. Kondo did not allow him to do physical work, and Hijikata gave him loads of administrative work under his supervision instead. It was only Kagura came to rescue him that Sougo was able to escape, and he complained while they were running away from angry Demon Vice-Chief that the paperwork was Hijikata's way of revenge.

"What are you talking about? It took you more than a week to regain your memories, which means that you win this challenge," he said nonchalantly. "I've been wondering why you're not turning me into your personal slave yet."

"Is this an invitation for me to dominate you?" she smirked mischievously. "Wow, you really are a masochist when it comes to me, uh-huh."

"In your dreams, China," replied Sougo. "If anything, I'm thankful that you're such a big idiot."

Kagura scowled. "So you're not doing it because you don't win? After what we've been through?"

"Not if you call me a masochist,"

"Selfish brat. But you totally are an M, uh-huh,"

"I'm an S,"

"Said the guy who went berserk and got himself injured to save one girl who is capable of defending herself," Kagura shrugged. "You know, you told me not to be so much of a tsundere, but you're a worse tsundere than me, uh-huh."

"Whatever you say, you brat. Still not gonna do it," he said, rolling his body to the side.

"So even if I asked you to go on a date with me, you won't do it?"

Sougo pulled his sleep mask from his eyes. "…I can make a few exceptions, though," he said, sitting up. "Care to rephrase the invitation?"

Kagura rolled her eyes. "Oi, Sadist. Let's go on a date, uh-huh," she said. "Is it understandable enough for Chihuahuas?"

"Yes. Very," then he shook his head. "Not that I admit that I'm a Chihuahua—" he shook his head again. "Ugh. Whatever. So—where do you want me to take you?"

"I have one idea, uh-huh," she grinned. "Promise me you won't complain about it, okay?"

* * *

The day after, a Shinsengumi patrol car stopped in front of Snack Otose. Gintoki, who was just returned from buying new edition of _JUMP_ , took a glance of the car as he ascended the staircase to the second floor of the building.

"Kagura, Okita-kun is here to arrest you," he said upon entering his apartment.

"Yeah, I've told him to wait for a while." She shouted in reply.

The girl emerged from the bathroom to the living room, where Gintoki and Shinpachi were sitting. She was wearing a silky, royal blue qipao that resembled her eyes. In her hand were a comb and a scrunchie with flower kanzashi that she kept wearing ever since she went home from summer festival with the young police officer.

"Gin-chan, will you help me with my hair?" she asked, fidgeting nervously.

Gintoki put off the _JUMP_ and patted the couch beside him, signaling her to come over. "Yeah, come here."

Shinpachi took his headphone off. "It's so unusual of you to wear other color than red, Kagura-chan. Is that new?"

"Did that hopeless police officer told you to?" asked Gintoki, brushing her hair.

"He didn't!" said Kagura. "And this isn't new, uh-huh. I bought this a few months back but only got a chance to wear it now."

"There, it's done," Gintoki tapped her shoulder. "Go check yourself."

"How do I look, Shinpachi?" she asked, turning her head around. Her hair was put in a neat top knot, with the fabric kanzashi securing it.

Shinpachi smiled. "Pretty as ever, Kagura-chan."

"Thank you, Shinpachi. And you too, Gin-chan. You're the best!" said Kagura as she returned to the bathroom.

"It's relieving to finally see a development between the two," said Shinpachi once Kagura was gone. Then his facial expression turned to be somewhat grim. "Although it's kinda saddening that she gets to have two different dates in a span of two weeks and I'm here with this no-good permhead."

"Don't worry, Patsuan. I'm pretty sure she doesn't count the one with that criminal as one, and neither do I," said Gintoki, reopening up his _JUMP_ to continue where he left off. "I'm sure you'll soon find someone to help you escape from the cherry-boy lore."

"Thanks for the reassurance, Gin-san." Shinpachi deadpanned, a drop of tear fell from the eyes.

Gintoki lifted his finger and started digging his left ear. "But you're right, I'm kinda relieved too."

"You surprised me, though. I thought you're going to be nagging like the other times," Shinpachi surmised. "Why are you treating Okita-san differently and help him?"

"Help the Sadist _what_?" asked Kagura, peeking her head from the shoji.

"A-aaah, _that_ ," Gintoki stuttered. "Geez, Kagura, have you forgotten already? We helped him _and_ the Shinsengumi catch the criminals and returned the victim to their families safely. Speaking of which, I haven't collected the rest of the payment from the Ishinos. They gotta give me bonus for finding their daughter in less than 24 hours."

"Don't forget to give my share, uh-huh," said Kagura, then she turned her heel. "See you later, you guys!"

"Don't let him shag you on the first date!" Gintoki yelled.

"Oh my God, Gin-san, stop being so disgusting!"

"I won't, you smelly old man!" Kagura yelled back.

Once Kagura left, Gintoki leaned back to the couch. "About your question earlier, Shinpachi, well… everybody just know they have sparks for each other, and their… _belligerent_ sexual tension has been giving me headaches. Might as well help them by giving some gentle push, don't you think?" said Gintoki without moving up.

"In fandom terms, it's called shipping," said Shinpachi, pushing his glasses. "You totally ship them."

"Yeah, yeah. _Ship._ Who wouldn't _ship_ those idiots?" Gintoki lifted his eyebrow. "However, Shinpachi, you're wrong. I'm not playing favorite here. You know, once things get serious, I won't make things any easier for him. Just wait until I tell her bald father about this." He grinned.

"You know, Gin-san, there are times when I genuinely root for you," Shinpachi grinned back at him. "This is one of them. Count me in on your evil plan, please."

While Kagura and Sougo sneezed somewhere on the road, Gintoki and Shinpachi's evil cackle echoed to neighboring buildings.

* * *

" _PULP FICTION!_ " sneezed Kagura. "Bleargh. Someone is talking about me," said Kagura, reaching for tissue.

" _MIKE TYSON!_ " Sougo sneezed too. "I think someone is talking about me too."

Both of them sniffed, then they looked at each other.

"I can feel it now," he said lazily, returning his gaze to the road in front of him. "Danna and Megane are planning something evil,"

"No they're not," protested Kagura. "Shinpachi is a softie, and even if Gin-chan is a sadist, he's a tamed one, unlike you, uh-huh!"

"You're saying that because it's not _you_ who they are targeting for," he took a glance of her. "So, tell me. Why are you wearing blue?"

It was the only response he could make out about her looks today. To say that he was speechless was an understatement, and he began to regret his decision for only wearing his Shinsengumi uniform. Wearing a suit and driving patrol car at the same time didn't seem really fitting. But then again, her whole look of the day would suit more for a date at a French restaurant on the top floor of a 5-star luxury hotel rather than the place they were going right now.

"A change of mood," she replied. "Aren't you sick of seeing me in red already?"

"I am sick of seeing everything you," he muttered, and when he saw Kagura lifting her umbrella, he quickly added, "I'm just kidding."

Soon, tall, concrete buildings of Edo were gone from the view, changed into a beautiful scenery of autumn. Kagura stuck her face excitedly on the car window as they passed through cosmos field, and, as they went further, rows of ginkgo and maples, surrounded with _nanakamado_ shrubs on the hill slopes.

"It's so magical!" Kagura beamed. "Everything is so pretty, uh-huh!"

"Yeah," Sougo chuckled. "Welcome to Bushuu."

Kagura gasped upon the beautiful sea of red and yellow that were rustled by the wind around her, and she pulled the window open to feel the fresh air on her skin. Sougo stole a glance of her from the corner of his eyes and smiled a little when he saw her beaming.

"Your hometown is beautiful. Everything is so different from Kabuki-cho, uh-huh."

"Of course." He replied with a hint of pride on his tone. Even though he had decided that Edo is his home, it couldn't replace Bushuu as a place where everything started.

Sougo then slowed down before he pulled the brake.

Kagura looked up. In front of them was a staircase, where an _ishidorii **[1]**_ , stood lonely and covered in moss stood at the end of the threshold. She let go an excited _oooh_ and Sougo gulped. This was the first time he'd ever go here with someone. He'd never let anyone go with him and see him peeling off his usual nonchalance—not even Kondo, and especially, not Hijikata.

"Are we here?" she turned to him. Sougo nodded.

"Yup. We're here," he said as he exited the car and went to the car trunk, where a bouquet of chrysanthemum lied inside. "Ah, can you please open the glove compartment and take the plastic bag inside?"

"Of course," she said, pulling it open. Sougo opened the car door for her, and led her to the staircase.

The temple—like everything else in this village—had a serene yet mysterious vibe on its atmosphere. The small garden, like its temple gate, was surrounded with moss and mists, leaving such a hauntingly beautiful atmosphere. At the center of the moss garden was a small pond, with a wooden bridge leading their way to a smaller torii.

A statue of local God stood at the side of the small torii, guarding the cemetery around it. He clenched the bouquet on his hand.

"Oi, you'll break the stems if you grip them that hard, uh-huh," said Kagura, poking his hand softly. She smiled—but it wasn't her usual shit-eating grin that she'd usually give him, it was a smile of understanding. He hated it, but was grateful with it at the same time.

"Relax, you're not alone in here," she pushed his shoulder, signaling him to resume the walk. "Lead the way, Captain."

They walked further until they stopped in front of a grave that read _Okita_.

Kagura put the wooden bucket that she took from the temple and the plastic bag and began cleaning up the gravestone, with Sougo putting the bouquet of chrysanthemum on the vase. Then Kagura took out the offerings inside the plastic bag—red hot super spicy rice crackers and tabasco bottle.

"Oi, do you have lighter?" she jiggled the incense sticks in front of his face.

"Yeah." He muttered, pulling one from his jacket and lighted the incense before putting them on the holder. He began praying, and so did Kagura.

Many people would visit graveyards to speak to the dead, to talk about things they were missing. But even after years passed, Sougo was still unable to be that kind of visitor. After he finished his prayers, he would find himself at loss of words, standing blankly for a few minutes until he couldn't take it anymore, turned his heel, and walked away—he would promise himself not to be such a crybaby on his next visit only to fail.

But he felt a little at ease right now. He was able to breathe, and he knew it wasn't merely because he wasn't alone—it was because _she_ was with him.

As he stared at her sister's name on the tombstone, he felt something weird. He was pretty sure he had a dream about his sister last night, but he couldn't quite make out what they were talking about. All he was remembering that it felt real, and that her sister was as pretty as always.

He felt a feathery touch on top his head. He opened his eyes and saw Kagura, tiptoeing so she could reach out to him. She pursed her lips.

"You're not okay, aren't you?"

He took a deep breath. "No, actually," he said, exhaled. "But I can't concentrate on being sad with you beside me."

She pulled her hand away from his head, grinning. "You know, it's okay to be vulnerable sometimes." She pulled her umbrella and opened it, covering her face from his view—or, perhaps, to cover _his_ face from her view.

Sougo knew that it was useless for him to lie to her-they were never able to hide the truth from each other, and especially not now.

And for that matter, he was relieved.

"China," he called.

"Yeah?" she said, still unseen under the umbrella.

"Is this why you're not wearing red today?"

Kagura was silent, but he knew his answer; afterall, there was nothing they could hide from each other.

* * *

Kagura insisted him to walk around in the village he grew up in, and he reluctantly agreed. They were about to walk to his house when they passed by a large field with countless cosmos flowers growing on it. Kagura, of course, was excited. She dragged him to stop by, so Sougo watched as Kagura was dancing happily around the flowers under the gust of autumn wind, before she lost her breath and approached him, who was sitting under another maple tree.

"I miss this." He said as Kagura walked to him.

"I know you miss me," she said, crunching dried leafs with her feet.

"No, I never miss _you_ ," he corrected. "You never went anywhere."

She pouted. "So is that a way to say that you don't miss the hurloine version of me and preferred the heroine version, uh-huh?"

"That's not what I'm saying. I… don't mind either versions of you," he chuckled, and he meant it. "And what are _hurloine_ and _heroine_ , anyway? I saw both of them within you, amnesiac or not."

"Really?" she lifted one of her eyebrow, doubting him. "So what are you missing, then?"

"I miss us being like this," he shrugged. "You and your carelessness and idiocy, and me, watching and waiting until you trip over."

Kagura _tch_ -ed. "You know what? I was actually hoping that you would say some romantic lines, but I was wrong to expect anything from you."

"Oooh, being straightforward, are we?" Sougo teased her.

She blushed. "I'm not, idiot!" she threw dried leafs to his hair, some of which were tangled onto it.

"Tch, you damn brat," he uttered. Kagura stuck her tongue out and cackled. "But really, though. If it wasn't for your memory loss, some things would remain unanswered."

"Huh?" she asked, tilting her head. "What kind of things?"

" _These_ things." He threw his hands, then he pulled her to meet her forehead with his.

The sudden contact made her blush. "What, uh-huh?!"

"China," he said, cupping her cheeks. "Will you come with me again here next year?"

There was a pause on her end, as she was looking at him with a confused expression on his face. "Of course I will," she said, like it was the most obvious thing ever.

"How about next year, and the year after, and the year after that?" he asked again.

"Shut up, Sadist. I don't mind."

"Thank you." He said, and he released his hands, turning back to continue the walk, before realizing that her small hand was tugging on his jacket.

"What?" he asked her.

"I… have one condition, though," she said, her eyebrows furrowed.

"What is it?"

"I want to protect you," she sputtered. "I've told you back then, in the warehouse… but you didn't answer me."

Sougo looked at her, and it reminded him with what Kamui had told him— _I didn't like the face she made_ —and Sougo knew why. She wasn't crying like in the hospital room back then, but it still showed distress, and it was enough to made his heart pang.

 _You had been protecting me for a while, though_ , Sougo mused. Not from bullets, swords or bad guys, but from his own demons. And for him right now, it was enough.

"Stuuupid," said Sougo. "What kind of question is that, China?"

"I'm just saying that protecting doesn't have to be one-sided," she replied, unable to fight the obvious redness from her face.

"Of course you can. Now carry me."

" _Huuuh_?"

"You said you want to protect me. You're offering yourself to become a bodyguard, right? Now carry me all around the village." He said lazily, lifting his hands limply like a small child.

Of course, that led into a violence. Kagura kicked him on the stomach, and Sougo did not anticipate the attack, so he fell to the ground with a loud thud.

"I thought you've gotten a little more feminine, but you're still the worst." He grunted in pain as he rolled to his back.

Kagura clicked her tongue and shook her head. "I believe the correct word is 'the best'." She offered her hand to pull him up.

"Whatever," he said, grabbing her hand. But instead letting himself to be pulled up, he pulled her down with him, making her fall onto his chest.

"Stupid, what are you doing?!" she said, her pink cheeks turned into a deep shade of red, and he laughed.

"You know that despite whatever this thing is that's currently going on between us, we're still rivals, right?" Sougo asked her, stroking away the strands of hair that fell in front of her face.

"Yeah, and?"

"There is no way I want to be indebted to you, China. Ever. And I don't want to lose from you. So if you protect me once, I'm gonna pay back three times. It's just another competition for me."

"When did I ever protect you, though?" she asked, confused.

He flicked her forehead. "I'm not going to tell you how, but you certainly did."

"It hurts, stupid!" she hissed.

"Sorry," he mumbled, even though he didn't sound sorry in the slightest. "What do you say, China?"

"Do whatever you want, just don't die," she said. "I'm the only person who could end you. If you die, I'm going to kill you."

He laughed. "Yeah. Agree," then he held her arms. "So, as a payback of our contract for accompanying me here for years to come, take me to your home planet some time, will you?"

Her childlike expression suddenly changed into a surprised one. Sougo felt his Shinsengumi vest was being clenched hard, and her loud heartbeat resonated to his own.

"Ra-Rakuyou?" she stuttered. "B-but…"

"I want to see your house where you grew up, and I want to see your mother," he gripped her arms tighter, "and, perhaps, if your brother haven't killed me yet, perhaps we can go see your father, too?"

A pause. It was stupid of him, of course—they weren't in a relationship (or were they?) and yet he was proposing her into something very intimate.

He was ready for her rejection when she finally said, "Yes," sounding a little choked.

"'Yes' what?"

"Yes, of course you can visit Rakuyou," she said, her eyes were staring gently at him. "But you have to pay for the expense, uh-huh. Rakuyou is a remote planet, so the trip isn't cheap."

"What are you talking about?" Sougo scowled. "If I can pay for your lunch for that hell pit stomach of yours, then of course I can pay for a trip to outer space."

But his insult didn't provoke her. Kagura hummed and stroked his cheeks instead, and every move of her fingers made him jolt with electricity, and she rested his head on his chest.

It was his turn to stutter now. "Ch-China?"

"Thank you, Sadist." She whispered.

"I don't know what you're thanking me for, but you're welcome." He gulped, the sudden touch still made him nervous.

They were so close together, and the setting was perfect, and nobody was around. _I can just kiss her here and now…_

"Oi, do you want to spar?" She asked, her voice was muffled as she buried her head on his chest. "We haven't finished our last duel, and as you said earlier, we're still rivals, so…"

 _…or not_. "Yeah, it's been a while." He deadpanned. She exclaimed ecstatically before she rolled down from his chest.

"Don't be so disappointed, uh-huh," she commented. "If you win, you can kiss me."

"Tch, the nerve of some people…," he sneered, unsheathing his katana. "I will make you yield, you hear me?"

Kagura set her feet and stood on guard, her umbrella on her hands. "No, _I_ will, Sadist."

And he had known for a while that she was a big chunk of his comfort, but if it wasn't for that day when she looked at him in a blank stare without knowing who he is, he would never realize what she meant for him—that the fact she had forgotten him had sent him in agony, that her touch made his heart skip a beat, that her smile made his stomach flip—and in that very moment, he knew he had been feeling it all along.

At first, Sougo never thought he'd be sadistic enough to see the freak accident and her head injury as some kind of blessings. But, under the warm afternoon light of Bushuu that made its way through the hills that surrounded the field and spilled its colors to her hair as she charged to him, he was glad it happened.

* * *

[1] Torii made of stone.

* * *

And... that's it!

It's been quite a long ride! I'm so happy I managed to finish this fic. I hope this ending is satisfying enough to wrap up things.

I've went through ups and downs of my life throughout the months I've spent to write this. Things haven't been very easy for me this year, but writing has a therapeutic effect that I always find myself in bliss whenever I do it, but what motivates me the most to finish this story is of course the continuous support from you readers-thank you so much for your favorites, follows and comments!

Please continue to support Gintama! It's finally coming back for a new chapter in 50+ pages in Jump GIGA on December and I'm sooo hyped!

Once again, thank you so much for sticking around. I'll see you sometime soon :-)

(P.S.:  
\- Title was taken from Zeniba's quotes (Spirited Away).  
\- The description for the temple was taken from Saihō-ji Temple in Kyoto)


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